


Consumed By Drums

by MidnightAlley



Series: The Sphinx Chronicles [1]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Aliens, Attraction, F/M, Forced Marriage, Memory Loss, Murder, Mutual Pining, Obsession, Running Away, Sleeping with the enemy, Time Travel, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-07
Updated: 2018-12-07
Packaged: 2019-01-30 19:51:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 30,893
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12660291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MidnightAlley/pseuds/MidnightAlley
Summary: Ali Carter was on vacation when she suddenly woke up in a hospital on the moon! She meets the Doctor and Martha Jones and decides to travel with them. It turns out she is not even human anymore.





	1. The Hopital on the Moon

I remember seeing a bright white light, and the sensation of falling. It felt like my entire body was on fire. I have no idea how long the pain lasted, but it felt like an eternity, when I opened my eyes I discovered that I was lying on a hospital bed. I groaned as I sat up. What in the hell had happened to me? I yanked off the thin blanket that was covering me and swung my legs over the side of the bed, the floor felt like ice to my bare feet as I quietly made my way over to the door of the hospital room. There was a thin dark blue short-sleeved housecoat hanging from a hook, I quickly put that over my hospital gown.

Before I could leave the room there was a flash of light and then the whole building started to shake violently. I was flung to the floor and I curled myself into the fetal position. I groaned. First, I end up in the hospital, and now an earthquake is happening. Could this day get any worse?

When the building stopped shaking, I slowly got back up on my feet. I exited the room to see that everyone in the hospital was in a state of panic. What in the hell was going on? I really needed to find some answers. I looked to my right and I noticed a sign with an arrow pointing to where the patient's lounge was located. I headed off into that direction and eventually I came to a set of doors leading to a balcony.

Apparently, I wasn't the first person to have the idea of coming out here, because there was a young black woman in a white lab coat, she looked to be an inch or two taller than me, and a tall skinny man wearing a blue suit and some red converses. They both turned around and spotted me at the sound of the doors opening. The woman, taking in the sight of my hospital gown, took a few steps forward.

"You're one of the patients, yeah?" she asked in a British accent.

Wait, what? Was I in a hospital in England? How did I end up in England? I was in St. Louis, Missouri, on vacation. I nodded my head in shock.

The woman smiled at me. "My name is Martha Jones. What's your name?"

"Alix Carter, but you can just call me Ali," I replied.

"Listen, Ali. You should probably go back inside. Everything will be sorted out, and you will be fine, I promise," said Martha.

"Look, I don't remember how I even ended up in this hospital. I just want to know where I am..." I trailed off when I saw that the freaking earth was in the night sky. I was on the moon! "How is this even possible?" I declared out loud.

I finally noticed that the man in blue was just staring at me intently, with his chocolate brown eyes not saying a word. What a weirdo, even though I did find him very attractive. 

"I promise you, Mr. Smith, and Miss Carter, we will find a way out. If we can travel to the moon, then we can travel back. There has to be a way," said Martha, sounding very sure of herself.

"It's not Smith, that's not my real name," stated the man.

I eyed him, feeling intrigued. "What is your name?" I asked him, curiously.

"I'm the Doctor."

Martha laughed slightly. "Me too, if I can pass my exams. What is it, then, Doctor Smith?"

"Just the Doctor." Martha scrunched her nose in confusion. "What, people call you 'The Doctor'?"

"Yeah," he responded.

"Well, I'm not," huffed Martha. "As far as I'm concerned, you've got to earn that title," she informed him. The Doctor sighed, sounding exasperated. "Well, I better make a start, then." I watched him pick up a pebble and fling it over the balcony. The pebble hit a blue force field surrounding the whole hospital.

"Just as I thought, there's a force field keeping the air in," said the Doctor. Martha's eyes widened. "If that's like a bubble sealing us in, that means this is all the air we've got. What happens when it runs out?" she asked.

I rolled my eyes. We'll suffocate, duh.

"How many people are in this hospital?" questioned the Doctor.

Martha shrugged. "I don't know, a thousand?"

"One thousand people. Suffocating," stated the Doctor. 

I shuddered. "That's horrible!"

Martha looked disgusted at the idea. "Why would anyone do that?"

At that moment I heard the sound of engines from above. I looked up to see three gigantic cylinder shaped spaceships about to land on the moon. "Heads up!" exclaimed the Doctor. "Ask them yourself."

"Oh, good! You can see them, too. For a moment, there, I thought I was just insane," I drawled jokingly.

The Doctor and Martha both grinned at my remark.

Sweet! I think made two friends on the moon. Do I have skills, or what?

The Doctor, Martha, and I watched as giant rhino looking aliens marched toward the hospital. Martha gasped at the sight of them. "Aliens! Those are real proper aliens!"

"Judoon," stated the Doctor, his expression was serious. I stared at him, confused. How did he know their name? There's definitely more to this Doctor than great hair and a nice blue suit.

-0-

A few minutes later, my new friends and I were on the second floor above the lobby, hidden behind some potted plants. We were watching the Judoon scan people and making sure that they were human. After they were done, they marked their hand before moving on to the next person. What in the hell were these aliens up to?

"Oh, look down there; you've got a little shop. I like a little shop," the Doctor exclaimed.

I snorted. "Wow, you've got a serious case of ADD."

He rolled his eyes in response.

Martha piped. "Never mind that! What are Judoon?" she asked.

"Galactic police. Well, police for hire. More like interplanetary thugs," explained the Doctor.

"So..." I drawled. "They're basically alien mercenaries." 

"Yup," he responded.

"Great," I muttered, sarcastically. The Doctor's mouth twitched, slightly.

"And they brought us to the moon?" questioned Martha.

"Neutral territory. According to galactic law, they've got no jurisdiction over the Earth, and they isolated us. That rain? Lighting? That was them using an H20 scoop," said the Doctor.

"What's that about 'galactic law'? Where did you get that from? If they're police, are we under arrest? Are we trespassing on the moon or something?" asked Martha. "That can't be right; they're the ones that brought us here in the first place," I argued. The Doctor agreed. "Ali is right. They're making a catalog; it means after something non-human, which is very bad news for me."

I was stunned. "Holy shit!" He's an alien!

"Oi, don't swear!" The Doctor scolded. I simply rolled my eyes at him.

Martha stared in disbelief. "You've got to be kidding me." The Doctor raised one of his eyebrows.

"Don't be ridiculous. Stop looking at me like that," ordered Martha, not amused. I'm also having a difficult time believing that the Doctor is an alien. I mean looks human, not weird, like the Judoon. "What type of alien are you?" I asked him.

The Doctor ignored me and got up "Come on, then," he said. I sighed, annoyed that I was being ignored. Fine, don't answer my question. It's not like I meet aliens on the moon, every day. I thought sarcastically as Martha and I moved to follow the Doctor.

We stealthily made our way up the stairs.

"So, what are we going to do, now," I asked in a loud whisper.

"I need to get access to a computer," responded the Doctor. "There should be an office on the third floor, added Martha.

-0-

I studied the Doctor from the other side of the small office while I was sitting in a comfy swivel chair. Martha was gone for the moment, she had left to go find out what floor the Judoon were on. The Doctor immediately put on some brown colored glasses and pulled out a silver-colored cylinder-shaped device. I gaped at him. Yeah, that technology definitely looks strange and alien. Before I could question the Doctor about it, Martha came back into the room. "They've reached the third floor," she motioned to the device that was in the Doctor's hand. "What's that thing?"

"Sonic screwdriver," said the Doctor.

"I think it looks cool," I told him.

He beamed at me. "Thanks, Ali!" I shifted my gaze away so he wouldn't see my flushed face.

Martha rolled her eyes. "Well, if you're not going to answer me properly."

The Doctor held the device up. "No, really, it is. It's a screwdriver, and it's sonic, look."

"What else have you got? A laser spanner? said Martha sarcastically. 

Martha's sarcastic comment was lost on the Doctor. "I did, but it was stolen by Emily Pankhurst, cheeky woman." He angrily smacked the computer, looking frustrated, he ran his fingers through his short brown hair, making it messy. 

I stared at the Doctor's hair, feeling jealous that he had better hair than I did. I really wished that I had my scrunchie with me to pull my own wavy chestnut brown hair into a ponytail. I've always hated having my hair hanging in my face.

The Doctor continued. "Oh, this computer! The Judoon must have locked it down. Judoon platoon upon the moon," he muttered. "Cause I was just wandering, I wasn't looking for trouble, honestly, I wasn't, but noticed the plasma coils around the hospital, and that lighting, that's plasma coils, been building up for two days now, so I checked in, I thought something was going on the inside, it turns out the plasma coils were the Judoon up above."

"It sounds like you do this investigative stuff every day," I said to the Doctor.

"Well... every other day," he drawled.

"But what are they looking for?" questioned Martha.

The Doctor went back to tinkering on the computer. "Something that looks human, but isn't."

"Like you. Apparently," clarified Martha

"Like me. But not me."

"Don't they have a photo?" I asked feeling confused. "It might be a shape-changer," answered the Doctor, still messing with the computer.

"Whatever it is, can't you leave the Judoon to find it?" inquired Martha.

"If they declare the hospital harboring a fugitive, they'll sentence it to execution," he replied.

Oh, great, so much for the Judoon being nice aliens.

"All of us?" asked Martha.

"Oh yes. If I can just find this thing first..." he lightly smacked the side of the computer. "Oh! They're thick. The Judoon are thick. They wiped the records." The Doctor leaned back in his chair. "Oh, that's clever."

"What are we looking for?" inquired Martha.

"I don't know. Any patient admitted in the past week with unusual symptoms." The Doctor went back to working on the computer. "Maybe there's a back-up." 

"Just keep working. I'll go ask Mr. Stoker, he might know," said Martha as she ran out of the room. The Doctor stopped messing with the computer; he looked at me, curiously. "Ali, what were you admitted for?"

Why was he asking me this? Does he think that I'm the alien fugitive? I'm pretty sure that I'm human, but suddenly I had this uneasy feeling that I'm not anymore. "I don't remember how I ended up here. I was in St. Louis, and then I just woke up in the hospital," I said honestly.

The Doctor sprung to his feet and placed himself in front of me; he pointed his sonic screwdriver at me. The tip of it flashed blue, and it made a strange noise.

"Are you scanning me with that thing?" I asked.

The Doctor ignored my question, and he stared down at the sonic with a thoughtful expression. "Well... that's interesting."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "What's interesting?"

"Nothing," he responded quickly. "You're fine. Everything is fine, though you could eat less junk food."

"Hey!" I cried out, offended. "Watch it, E.T!"

The Doctor just smiled cheekily at me.


	2. Barefoot on the Moon

The Doctor just stood there grinning at me from ear to ear. I stared down at my bare feet so he wouldn't see the smile that was threatening to show on my face. What can I say? The Doctor's smiles were contagious.

"Don't you have to get the backup restored, or something?" I grumbled out loud.

"Right, I'll just get back to work, then," agreed the Doctor still beaming away like a lunatic as he went back to work on the computer.

I watched him work for a minute or two until I decided to let my mind wander. At that moment I could have sworn that I heard the pounding of footsteps running toward this room. I must be losing my mind because the Doctor would say something if he could hear someone running toward this room. Right?

"Ali? Are you feeling alright?" the Doctor asked sounding concerned.

"Yes," I said snapping out of it. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, I just said that I restored the backup twice now," he replied while giving me a strange look.

Oh, great, the Doctor thinks I'm a total weirdo. "I'm sorry. I was just... listening," I responded feeling embarrassed.

The Doctor gazed at me curiously. "Listening?"

"I thought I could hear someone coming this way," I answered honestly. He looked lost in thought for a moment.

"Doctor?" I prompted him hesitantly. The tone of my voice seemed to snap him out of it and he rushed out of the room to presumably find Martha. I quickly raced after him, feeling uneasy about the entire situation. The Doctor and I immediately bumped into Martha in the hallway. She looked like she had seen a ghost.

"I've restored the backup," the Doctor informed Martha.

"I found her," Martha told us breathlessly.

"Found who?" I inquired curiously. The Doctor stared at her in shock. "You what?"

A man wearing all black leather and a motorcycle helmet suddenly appeared at the end of the hall. As soon as he spotted us, he started to run. The Doctor unexpectedly grabbed my hand, and we started to race down the hallway. He led Martha and I back down the stairs to where we came face to face with the Judoon. Oh crap. This is not going to end well. The Doctor was still holding my hand as he dragged me through a door on the fourth floor. At this point, I'm painfully gasping for air. Damn, I'm so out of shape. I should have never gotten out of my hospital bed. We ducked into another room with all kinds of medical equipment. To my disappointment, the Doctor dropped my hand in order to slam and lock the door directly in Leather Man's face. Martha and I raced behind a glass window. Behind it, there is a panel with numerous buttons and switches on it.

"When I say 'now', press the button," the Doctor told Martha.

"I don't know which one?!" 

"Find out!" he yelled. I spotted the Operator's Manual on a shelf, and I grabbed it. I quickly leafed through the pages until I found a diagram. "Martha, you need to push the big yellow button!" I told her.

"Got it!"

Leather Man finally crashed through the door.

"Now!" the Doctor shouted. Martha pushed the button; there was a zap and a flash of light. It highlighted the Doctor's and Leather Man's entire skeletons. The zap only caused Leather Man to fall down dead, though.

"What did you do?" questioned Martha.

"Yeah, I don't understand what happened," I added.

"I increased the radiation by five thousand percent. Killed him dead," answered the Doctor.

"Isn't that likely to kill you?" Martha inquired.

Umm... that didn't sound healthy at all.

"Nah, it's only radiation. We used to play with roetgen bricks in the nursery. The two of you can come out now, I've absorbed it all. All I need to do is to expel it," said the Doctor. Martha and I cautiously rejoined him. We both stared in disbelief as the Doctor started to bounce up and down on one foot.

"If I concentrate I can shake the radiation out of my body and into one spot. Let's say in my left shoe. Here we go, here we go, easy does it..." he starts shaking his left foot. "Out, out, out. Ah, ah, ah. It's hot. Ah, hold on!" the Doctor takes off his shoe and he throws it into a trash can. The madman gives us both a triumphant grin. 

Martha stared at him. "You're completely mad,"

I nodded. "You're absolutely bananas."

"Right. I look daft with only one shoe," agreed the Doctor. He takes off his other shoe and throws it away. "Barefoot on the moon!" Yep, he's definitely the mayor of Crazy Town. Wait a minute! I'm not wearing any shoes on the moon, either. Oh great, It appears that I have started a trend.

We all crouched down by the body of Leather Man. "So what is that thing? And where's it from? The planet Zovirax?" asked Martha.

"It's just a Slab. They're called 'Slabs.' Basic slave drones, see? Solid leather, all the way through. Someone has got one hell of a fetish," explained the Doctor.

"It came with that woman, Mrs. Finnegan. It was working for her, just like a servant," informed Martha as the Doctor went over to the x-ray machine and examined his sonic screwdriver. From what I could see, the sonic screwdriver was burnt to a crisp. The Doctor pouted at what remained of his sonic screwdriver. "My sonic screwdriver," he whined. Martha ignored the Doctor's whining and continued. "She was one of the patients, but-"

"My sonic screwdriver!" the Doctor moaned. I rolled my eyes; I felt a little sorry for him, but he was also being ridiculous.

"She had a straw like some kind of vampire," commented Martha. 

Hang on! Did I just hear the word 'vampire'? Oh, hell no! I'm pretty sure I don't get paid enough to deal with this shit. The Doctor held out his sonic screwdriver for me to see. "Ali, I really loved my sonic screwdriver!" I gave him a sympathetic pat on his shoulder. "Yeah, I'm sure you did." 

"Doctor!" Martha shouted at him.

"Sorry," the Doctor threw away his sonic screwdriver and smiled. "You called me 'Doctor'."

"Anyway! Miss Finnegan is the alien. She was drinking Mr. Stoker's blood," Martha informed us.

The Doctor frowned slightly. "Funny time to take a snack. You'd think she'd be hiding. Unless - no." He grinned. "Yes, that's it, wait a minute. Yes! Shape-changer. Internal shape-changer. She wasn't drinking blood. she was assimilating it," explained the Doctor.

Yippee, mystery solved! I thought sarcastically. 

A few minutes later, our small party of three were hiding behind a water cooler in the hallway. We watched as another Slab walked past us. "That's the thing about Slabs. They always travel in pairs," murmured the Doctor. I shivered slightly. I was extremely aware of how close the Doctor was behind me. Geez, Ali. You need to focus on the evil alien fugitive, not the hot alien that's right behind you.

"What about you? asked Martha.

"What about me?"

"Haven't you got back-up? You must have a partner or something?"

"Yeah, back-up would be nice," I added

He scoffed. "Uh, humans. We're stuck on the moon, running out of the air with Judoon, and a blood-sucking criminal, and you're asking personal questions. Come on."

Martha snorted. "I like that. 'humans'. I'm still not convinced you're an alien."

"I am. He's too weird to not be one," I muttered. The Doctor chose this moment to get out of his hiding spot only to bump into one of the Judoon. The rhino looking alien held up a small device that had a blue light at the end of it. The Doctor stood there, paralyzed as the device scanned him.

"Non-human," stated the Judoon.

Martha gasped. "Oh my God, you really are!"

The Doctor grabbed my hand and pulled me up. "And again!" We took off down the hallway; I could hear the Judoon firing their laser guns at us. Yep, I definitely don't get paid enough to deal with this. We managed to escape the Judoon by going to a different floor.

"They've done this floor. Come on. The Judoon are logical and just a little bit thick. They won't go back to check a floor they've checked already. If we're lucky," said the Doctor as we walked at a brisk pace. Down the hallway there were patients slumped on the floor. Martha went over to a lady wearing a white lab coat; I surmised that this lady was someone that she worked with at this hospital. The woman was holding an oxygen mask to a young girl.

Martha asked the woman. "How much oxygen is there?"

The woman looked grave. "Not enough for all these people. We're going to run out," she replied.

"How are you feeling? Are you alright, Martha?" inquired the Doctor.

"I'm running on adrenaline."

The Doctor turned his gaze toward me. "What about you, Ali?" His voice was filled with concern.

"I'm fine, just not used to all the running," I wheezed.

"What about the Judoon?" Martha interjected.

I nodded. "Wouldn't the oxygen bother the Judoon as well?"

The Doctor shook his head. "Ah, great big lung reserves, it won't slow them down. Where's Mr. Stoker's office?" He questioned.

"It's this way," said Martha.


	3. The E.T. Department

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Ali has to pretend that she's married to the Doctor.

The Doctor, Martha, and I entered Mr. Stoker's office to find that Miss Finnegan had disappeared.

"She's gone! She was here!" exclaimed Martha.

"I doubt that she would remain at the scene of the crime," I added.

Martha nodded. "That's true." The Doctor crouched next to Mr. Stoker's body and examined him. "She drained him dry. Every last drop. I was right. She's a plasmavore." I sighed. I guess can't call Miss Finnegan a wannabe vampire.

"What was she doing on Earth?" asked Martha. 

"Hiding. On the run, like Ronald Bigg in Rio de Janeiro," he responded. "What's she doing now? She's still not safe. The Judoon could execute us all." The Doctor stood up and sprinted out of the office. "Come on."

"Wait a minute," stated Martha as she closed Mr. Stoker's eyes. My opinion of Martha went way up, not that I didn't like her before. I just like the fact that she was extremely respectful of her dead boss.

-0-

We were now back in the hallway, trying to figure out what would Miss Finnegan do next.

"Think, think, think. If I was a plasmavore surrounded by the police, what I do?" The Doctor halted at the sight of an MRI sign that was on the wall. "Ah. She's as clever as me. Almost."

I was confused. How would an MRI help? Before I could ask the Doctor to explain, I spotted the Judoon marching down the hallway. Oh, shit! It's the alien po-po! We were screwed.

"Find the non-human. Execute," commanded the leader of the Judoon. The Doctor stepped in front of Martha. "Stay here. I need time. You're going to have to hold them up."

"How do I do that?"

"Martha, forgive me for this. It's to save a thousand lives, it means nothing. Honestly, nothing." He grabbed her face and gave her a long kiss on the mouth before taking my hand, dragging me behind him.

Wow. Talk about mixed signals.

In the MRI room, we found an elderly woman that could only be Miss Finnegan, messing with the controls of the machine. The machine was making a high pitched buzzing noise that was making me wince at the sound of it. I don't know anything about operating MRI machines, but I could definitely tell that it wasn't supposed to be making that noise.

"Have you seen them? There are these things, those great big rhino things," rambled the Doctor. "I mean rhinos from space, and we're on the moon! Great big space rhinos with guns on the moon. I only came in for my bunions. They're all right now, perfectly good treatment, I said to my wife," he gestured to me.

My face warmed at the thought of being the Doctor's wife, even if it was just for undercover reasons.

"I'd recommend this place to anyone, but then we end up on the moon! Ali, did I mention the rhinos?"

I flashed him with a smile. "Yes, honey," I said getting into character.

Miss Finnegan sneered. "Grab them," she ordered her remaining Slab.

Well, this is going to end horribly. The Slab gripped both our arms tightly; we were both on opposite sides of each other. Once we were secured, Miss Finnegan went back to work on the machine.

The Doctor faked a confused expression. "That thing, that big machine thing, is it supposed to be making that noise?"

"You wouldn't understand," said Miss Finnegan.

"Isn't that a magnetic resonance imaging thing? Is it like a ginormous sort of a magnet? I did magnets at GCSE. Well, I failed, but all the same."

Miss Finnegan smirked. "The magnetic setting is now set to 50,000 Tesla."

"Ooh. That's a little strong, isn't it?" asked the Doctor still playing dumb.

"I can send out a magnetic pulse that will fry the brain stems of every living thing within 250,000 miles. Except for me, safe in this room."

"But... hold on, hold on. I did geography for GCSE, I did pass that one, doesn't that distance include the Earth?"

"Only the side facing the moon. The other side will survive. Call it my little gift," grinned Miss Finnegan.

Geez. I can't believe I'm in the same room with this freaking lunatic. I hope you know what you're doing, Doctor.

"I'm sorry, you'll have to forgive me, I'm little out of my depth. I've spent the past fifteen years working as a postman, hence the bunions. Why would you do that?" questioned the Doctor.

Miss Finnegan snickered. "With everyone dead, the Judoon ships will be mine to make my escape."

The Doctor scoffed. "Now, that's weird. You're talking like some sort of alien. Did you hear that, Ali?"

I plastered another fake smile on my face. "Yeah, it's unbelievable."

"Right-o," confirmed Miss Finnegan.

"No!" gasped the Doctor.

"Oh, yes."

"You're joshing me."

"I am not."

"I'm talking to an alien? In a hospital? What, has this place got an E.T department?" asked the Doctor.

"It's the perfect hiding place. Blood banks downstairs for a midnight feast and all this equipment I'm ready to arm myself with should the police come looking."

"So, those rhinos, they're looking for you?"

"Yes, but I'm hidden." Miss Finnegan showed us the mark on her hand.

"Oh, right! Maybe that's why they're increasing their scans."

Uh, what in the hell was the Doctor playing at?

"They're doing what?" she snarled.

"Big chief rhino boy, he said, no sign of a non-human, we must increase our scans... up to setting two? answered the Doctor.

"Then I must assimilate again," said Miss Finnegan.

"What does that mean?"

"I must appear human."

Miss Finnegan walked over to a big black bag and pulled out a straw.

"Well, you're welcome to come home with my wife and I. We can have cake," suggested the Doctor, nervously.

"Why should I have cake? I've got my little straw."

The Doctor chuckled uneasily. "That's nice. Milkshake? I like banana."

Miss Finnegan smiled creepily. "You're quite the funny man. I think your wife would make a tasty snack with her lovely brown curls and rosy cheeks," she hissed as got closer to me.

Oh my God!

The Doctor's widened in horror and anger. "Don't you touch her!" he struggled.

"Knock him out!" ordered Miss Finnegan to her Slab.

The Slab dropped my arm in order to hit the Doctor really hard in the face; I watched helplessly as the Doctor crumbled to the ground. "No!" I screamed.

"Hold her!"

The Slab grabbed me by the shoulders and forced me to kneel in front of MIss Finnegan. The old hag yanked my head to the side and placed her straw on my neck.

"I think it's time for you to find some peace, my dear," she said coldly, before sucking my blood out through the straw. I cried out in pain; I could feel tears running down my cheeks, as my body weakened. A minute later, I succumbed to the darkness.


	4. The Time Machine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Ali wakes up abroad the TARDIS and discovers that she is not human.

When I opened my eyes, I discovered I was lying on some kind of examination table. The room that I was in was bathed in a soft white light. I looked around see medical equipment scattered all around me, some of the equipment didn't look like it belonged on Earth. Oh, crap! Did the Judoon bring me aboard their ship? I don't want to be experimented on!

The Doctor chose that moment to walk into the room.

"Doctor!" I exclaimed.

"Ali, you're not supposed to be awake. You're supposed to be resting," he scolded me.

I sat up all the way; my feet couldn't even reach the floor. Geez, I was shorter than I thought. The Doctor went over to a table, picked up a square looking gadget, and then he slowly moved it and down my body.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm checking your vitals, now hush!" the Doctor rudely replied.

I rolled my eyes at him. "Has anyone told you that you're completely rude?"

"Yes, they have. Now, hush! I'm busy!"

I scowled at him while trying to fight the urge to slap him. The device in the Doctor's hand made a little beeping sound.

"Am I good, then?" I asked him.

"Your vitals are fine," he told me.

The Doctor knelt in front of me and gently took my hands into his own. He stared at me intently, with a sorrowful expression on his face. "Ali, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I did not mean for you to get hurt."

What did he mean by that?

Oh, now I remembered.

I stared at the Doctor with a panicked look on my face. "Miss Finnegan… she sucked my blood out with a straw!"

The Doctor looked guilty. "I know, and I'm so sorry. She was supposed to pick me."

"I should be dead! How am I alive? Where's Martha? Is she alright? What about the hospital?"

"Martha used CPR to bring you back; I was able to stop the machine from frying people's brain stems," the Doctor told me.

"What about the Judoon, and Miss Finnegan?"

"The Judoon discovered that Miss Finnegan was the alien, and then they returned the hospital before everyone ran out of air."

I suddenly came to a terrifying realization. If Miss Finnegan used my blood to assimilate, and the Judoon discovered that she wasn't human. Oh my God!

"Doctor, what am I?" I asked sounding scared.

The Doctor looked apologetic. "I don't know, I'm sorry."

"I don't understand, both my parents were human! What happened to me?" I yelled at him.

The Doctor pulled me into a hug and rubbed my back comfortingly. "I know. I double checked the results, triple checked them. You were definitely born a human, but something happened to change you."

"What did I change into?" I inquired tearfully.

The Doctor pulled away slightly and wiped the tears away. "Ali, I promise that I will sort this out. You just need to trust me. Can you do that for me?"

I nodded. "I have no idea what I should do now," I said feeling helpless.

The Doctor took a step back and held out his hand. "Travel with me," he said unexpectedly.

"Huh?"

He grinned at me. "Travel with me, inside the TARDIS."

"What's the TARDIS?"

"It's my ship, we're in her right now," the Doctor said proudly.

I gave him a small smile as I took his hand. "Okay."

The Doctor laughed. "Brilliant!"

He proceeded to drag me out of what I guessed was the med-bay. After going down many corridors, we finally made it to a large room with a sort of orange-ish glow. In the middle of the room, there was a large see-through cylinder connected to a console with a lot of buttons and levers. Around the edges of the room, there was a large coral looking columns.

"She's beautiful," I gasped.

The Doctor looked pleased by my comment. "Thank you!" He let go of my hand and raced away to open some doors.

"Now, if you want to see something else that's beautiful, come and take a look out here."

I went over to the Doctor, curious to see what he wanted to show me. I stood next to him and looked out to see billions of dazzling stars.

"Ali, meet the universe," announced the Doctor proudly.

I turned slightly to look up and found the Doctor smiling at me, waiting for my response.

"It's…wonderful," I told him, no other words coming to my mind at the moment.

He nodded, still smiling. "Yeah, it is," he agreed.

I smiled back. "What now?"

"Well…" the Doctor drawled. "I was thinking of going back to pick up Martha, and taking her on some sort of thank you trip."

"Doctor, I'm still wearing my hospital gown," I stated.

He raised one eyebrow at me. "So?"

"So, I would like to change my clothes," I shot back.

The Doctor made a huffing noise. "Alright! There is a wardrobe. Leave the control room, make two rights and three lefts, it should be around somewhere."

I snorted. Well, those were helpful directions. Not.

Earlier, when the Doctor dragged me to the control room, I didn't get a good look at the corridors. Now, I could see that the walls were a light yellow decorated with blue round things.

How do I get to the wardrobe, again? I wondered.

As soon as I had that thought pop into my head, the lights in the corridor to the right of me turned on, I had a feeling in my gut there was something special about the Doctor's spaceship. I shrugged my shoulders and decided to follow the trail of lights.

Five minutes later, I finally made it to the wardrobe, and I was amazed at the sight of it. It was freaking huge. There was a long golden platform leading to the middle of the room, where there was spiral staircase. Also, there were more coral shaped columns throughout the room.

I headed towards a rack of clothes, eager to look through them. My hospital gown felt disgusting and grimy, I couldn't wait to put on a fresh change of clothes. I immediately found a pair of black jeggings, a grey t-shirt with the Assassin's Creed logo on it, a dark blue zip-up hoodie, and some white keds. I quickly put on my new clothes, and I went back to the control room. I discovered that the Doctor was nowhere to be found.

"Doctor!" I shouted. "Where are you?"

I was met with silence, so I decided to exit the TARDIS and look for him. I found the Doctor leaning against the TARDIS, which looked like blue box. That can't be right. It was so big on the inside, and it just looked like a small wooden blue box that had the word police written on it, on the outside.

Weird, but I loved it.

I noticed that the Doctor was smirking at my stunned reaction.

I mock glared at him. "You could have told me that the TARDIS looked like blue wooden police box."

The Doctor shrugged his shoulders. "Where's the fun in that?"

He made an excellent point.

I heard the sound of footsteps at the entrance of the alleyway; I turned around to see one Martha Jones standing there. She wasn't wearing her work clothes any longer. Instead, she was wearing form hugging jeans and a pink top along with a red leather jacket. I also noticed that her black hair was pulled up, and she had put on some golden hoop earrings.

"Martha, I'm glad you're okay," I said.

She smiled slightly. "I was just about to say that to you."

"I'm fine. I went to the moon, today"

Martha laughed "Me too!"

"The moon is bit more peaceful than down here," the Doctor added.

I snorted. I wouldn't consider running away from alien rhinos peaceful.

"You never even told me who you are," stated Martha.

"The Doctor."

I rolled my eyes. "You know that's not what she's talking about."

Martha nodded her head in agreement. "What sort of species? It's not every day I get to ask that."

"I'm a Time Lord," answered the Doctor.

I snickered. "Ooh, that sounds fancy."

"Right! Not pompous at all, then," said Martha sarcastically.

"I just thought since you saved Ali, and helped me," the Doctor pulled out a new sonic screwdriver out of his pocket. "that you might fancy a trip."

Martha protested. "I can't. I've got exams. I've got things to do. I have to go into town first thing and pay the rent; I've got my family going mad…"

The Doctor interjected, "If it helps, I can travel in time as well."

"You didn't mention that to me earlier!" I exclaimed.

"I'm getting to it now, aren't I," he responded cheekily.

"Get out of here," said Martha in disbelief.

"I can," the Doctor smirked.

Martha snorted. "Come on now, that's going too far."

"I'll prove it," he told us.

The Doctor entered the TARDIS, and after a moment the blue box disappears while making strange whirring sounds.

I gasped in delight. That was awesome!

Martha and I watched as the blue box reappeared just a moment later. The Doctor stepped out of TARDIS, holding his tie.

"Told you," he said smugly.

Martha looked shocked. "I know, but that was this morning! Oh, my God! You can travel in time!"

Things started to click in place, in my mind. "You just traveled to the past."

The Doctor winked at me. "Yup." He started to put on his tie, again.

Martha looked puzzled. "But hold on, if you could see me this morning, why didn't you tell me not to go to work?"

"Crossing into established events is strictly forbidden. Except for cheap tricks," explained the Doctor.

"And that's your spaceship?" asked Martha about the TARDIS.

"She's called the TARDIS, the Doctor told me a few minutes ago," I told Martha.

"It stands for Time and Relative Dimension in Space," added the Doctor.

Martha lightly touched the TARDIS. "Your spaceship's made out of wood. There's not much room. We'd be a bit intimate," she gave the Doctor a pointed look.

I could feel excitement bubbling up inside of me. She was going to be so shocked in a minute; I couldn't wait to see her reaction.

The Doctor pushed the door open. "Take a look."

I watched as Martha stepped inside, and took a good look at how big it was.

"Oh, no, no!" I heard her exclaim.

I smiled at her response; I suppose it is a bit of a surprise when you see the inside of the TARDIS this way. I did do it a bit backward after all.

Once Martha was finished inspecting the entire outside of the TARDIS, she came back inside, the Doctor and I followed her.

"It's like a box with that room just rammed in. It's bigger on the inside," she said in amazement.

I noticed that the Doctor mouthed the last sentence that Martha said, and I fought back a snort.

"Is it, I hadn't noticed," said the Doctor sarcastically, as he threw his coat on a railing.

He went over to stand next to the console. "All right, then, let's get going."

"But is there a crew? Like a navigator and stuff? Where is everyone?" questioned Martha.

"Just me," he replied.

"All on your own?"

"Well, sometimes I have guests. I mean some friends, traveling alongside. I had- there was recently a friend of mine. Rose, her name was Rose. And…we were together. Anyway," the Doctor rambled.

He must have had feeling for her, I realized. Suddenly, I wanted to know more about this Rose girl. She must be special, to capture the Doctor's attention.

"Where is she now?" asked Martha.

"With her family. Happy. She's fine. Not that you're replacing her," he quickly told Martha.

I had a suspicion that there was more to the story than that.

"I'd never said that I was," she responded.

"Just one trip to say 'thanks', you get one trip, then back home."

I briefly wondered why the Doctor was letting me stay on full time, and then I remembered that I almost died, he was going to help me figure out what I am.

Martha stated. "You're one that kissed me."

"That was a genetic transfer."

"Is that what they're calling it, these days," I teased.

The Doctor glared at me. "Alix, don't."

Ooh, he used my full name. I must be in trouble, now!

Martha continued on. "And if you wear a tight suit…"

"Now…don't!"

"And then travel all the way across the universe just to ask me on a date…"

"Stop it."

"For the record? I'm not remotely interested. I only go for humans," Martha finished.

"Yeah, me too!" I interjected.

I must have imagined this because I'm pretty sure that the Doctor had a look of disappointment on his face, but it was gone in an instant.

"Good." The Doctor started to push some buttons on the console. "Well, then. Close down gravitic anomalizer. Fire up the helmic regulator. And finally the hand brake. Ready?"

"No," said Martha.

I grinned. "I am."

The Doctor returned my grin. "Off we go!"

He pulls the handbrake, and then the TARDIS starts to shake uncontrollably. The three of us tightly hold on to the console for dear life.

"Blimey, it's a bit bumpy," commented Martha.

The Doctor reaches over the console to shake both our hands. "Welcome aboard! Miss Jones and Miss Carter."

"It's our pleasure, Mr. Smith." Martha and I both say at the same time.

I may not know what I am exactly, but I'm excited to be traveling throughout space and time with some new friends.


	5. The Globe Theatre

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the Doctor takes Ali and Martha back in time to Elizabethan London.

In the last twenty-four hours I've somehow ended up in a hospital that was put on the moon by aliens, almost got killed by an alien fugitive, and discovered that I wasn't human. Now, I'm inside a freaking time machine with a man that calls himself the Doctor and a new friend named Martha Jones. I just hope that I won't get eaten on some strange alien planet, because that would be an embarrassing thing to happen on my first trip inside the TARDIS.

The TARDIS shakes violently which snaps me out of my thoughts as I struggle to hold on to the console.

Martha asked the Doctor. "But how do you travel in time? What makes it go?"

"Oh, let's take the fun and mystery out of everything. Martha, you don't want to know. It just does," the Doctor replied as he practically climbs on to the console.

Suddenly the TARDIS comes to a complete stop almost causing me to get knocked to the ground, but I quickly regained my balance. I noticed that Martha was not as lucky as she got back on her feet.

"Blimey! Do you have to pass a test to fly this thing?" questioned Martha.

"Yes, and I failed it," answered the Doctor.

I snorted. "I don't doubt it."

The Doctor gave me a pouty look and whined. "Ali…"

I snickered. It was really easy to mess with the Doctor.

The Doctor rushed to put on his long brown coat, he also grabbed Martha's jacket and handed it to her. "I promised you one trip and one trip only. Outside this door…" the Doctor stared at the both of us. "Brave new world."

"So, where are we?" I asked excitedly.

The Doctor smirked in response and opened the door. "Take a look."

Martha and I exchanged excited looks with each other, before hurriedly exiting the time machine. I stared in shock at the scene before me. It was night, and there was a cobblestoned street littered with pieces of straw. There were plenty of people wandering about wearing old-timey clothes. I had actually traveled back in time!

Martha started to freak out at the sight before her. "Oh, you are so kidding me! Oh, my God! We did it. We travelled in time!" she turned to the Doctor. "Where are we? No, sorry. I gotta get used to this whole new language. When are we?"

The Doctor didn't answer her right away; instead, he grabbed my hips and pulled me to the side right before something hit the street. I blushed at the contact of his hands.

"Mind the loo!" I heard someone shout.

Did someone just throw poop out the window? Ew.

I gagged when the foul stench of it hit my nose. When did my nose get so sensitive?

The Doctor gave me a concerned look. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," I told him.

The Doctor finally answered Martha's question. "It appears that we've landed somewhere before the invention of the toilet. Sorry about that."

Martha shrugged her shoulders. "I've seen worse. I've worked the late night shift at A&E."

The three of us started to casually stroll down the street.

Martha asked the Doctor. "But are we safe? I mean, can we move around and stuff?

"Why wouldn't we be able to?" I asked her.

"Of course we can," the Doctor added. "Why do you ask?"

"It's like in the films. You step on a butterfly; you change the future of the human race," said Martha.

"Well, tell you what then, don't step on any butterflies," said the Doctor. "What have butterflies ever done to you?"

"What if, I dunno, I kill my grandfather?" asked Martha.

"You planning to?"

"No."

"Well, then," the Doctor replied.

"Are we in London?" I asked the Doctor.

"I think so. Right about 1599."

I stared at the Doctor in awe. "You just know the year. That's impressive."

The Doctor only winked at me in response. I felt my cheeks turn scarlet. He did know what winking means, right?

Martha stopped walking. "Oh, but hold on. Am I all right? I'm not gonna get carted off as a slave, am I?"

The Doctor spun around and kept walking backward. "Why would they do that?" He sounded confused.

Martha gestured to her own face. "Not exactly white, in case you haven't noticed."

"I'm not even human. Just walk about like you own the place. Works for me. Besides, you'd be surprised. Elizabethan England, not so different from your time. Look over there," the Doctor points to a man shoveling manure. "They've got recycling."

We continue to walk down the street, and we spot two men talking by a water barrel.

"Water cooler moment," said the Doctor.

Suddenly an old man shouted out. "…and the world will be consumed by flame!"

"Global warming," the Doctor nodded to the man.

I snorted. That man was definitely cray-cray.

The Doctor continued on. "Oh, yes, and…entertainment! Popular entertainment for the masses. If I'm right, we're just down the river by Southwark right next to…" the Doctor grabbed my hand, we took off running down the street, and around the corner to see a massive building.

The Doctor grinned at the sight of it. "Oh, yes, the Globe Theatre! Brand new. Just opened. Though, strictly speaking, it's not a globe; it's a tetradecagon-14 sides-containing the man himself."

Martha looked star-struck. "Whoa, you don't mean… is Shakespeare in there?

I sighed. I never was a fan of William Shakespeare's plays. I thought that they were boring to read in English class.

"Oh, yes!" the Doctor smiled at the two of us. "Miss Jones, Miss Carter, will you both accompany me to the theatre?"

Martha returned his smile. "Yes, Mr. Smith, I will!"

I simply shrugged. "Sure."

The Doctor frowned slightly at my lack of enthusiasm.

"When the two of you get home, you can tell them you've seen Shakespeare," the Doctor informed us.

"Then I could get sectioned!" joked Martha.

I have to admit that seeing one of Shakespeare's plays performed was a lot more entertaining than just reading it inside a classroom. The theatre was packed full of people, and they all cheered when the play ended.

"That's amazing! Just amazing. It's worth putting up with the smell," exclaimed Martha. "And those are men dressed as women," she asked about some of the performers on stage.

"London never changes," stated the Doctor.

"Either that or they're very ugly women," I muttered quietly to myself.

"Where's Shakespeare? I wanna see Shakespeare," Martha raises one fist in the air. "Author! Author!"

The Doctor and I both stare at her. Martha lowers her fist, looking embarrassed. "Do people do that? Do they shout 'Author'?"

Someone nearby picks up Martha's chant, and soon the whole theatre is shouting it.

The Doctor drawled out. "Well… they do now."

I slightly nudged Martha with my elbow. "It looks like someone started a trend."

At that moment William Shakespeare chose to walk out on stage. I was surprised to see that he was somewhat attractive. He had thick brown hair and a matching beard. He was dressed casually only wearing brown pants, a white tunic along with a brown jacket.

"He's a bit different from his portraits," commented Martha.

The Doctor looked up at Shakespeare in awe. "Genius. He's a genius- THE genius. The most human genius that's ever been. Now we're gonna hear him speak. Always, he chooses the best words. New, beautiful, brilliant words."

"Shut your big fat mouths!" shouted William Shakespeare.

I snickered. Yeah, those were brilliant words. Not!

"Oh, well," the Doctor sighed in disappointment.

"You should never meet your heroes," retorted Martha.

"You have excellent taste! I'll give you that," Shakespeare points to a random man in the crowd. "Oh, that's a wig!"

The crowd roared with laughter.

"I know what you're all saying. 'Loves Labour's Lost', that's a funny ending, isn't it? It just stop! Will the boys get the girls? Well, don't get your hose in a tangle, you'll find out soon. Yeah, yeah. All in good time. You don't rush a genius." He bows before jerking up right. "When? Tomorrow night." The people in the audience cheer as Shakespeare continues on. "The premiere of my brand new play. A sequel, no less, and I call it 'Loves Labour's Won'!"

The three of us head out of the theatre with the rest of the crowd.

"I'm not an expert, but I've never heard of 'Loves Labour's Won'," said Martha.

"Yeah, me either," I added.

"Exactly - the lost play. It doesn't exist – only in rumors. It's mentioned in his list of plays but never turns up. No one knows why" informed the Doctor.

Martha grinned. "Have you got a mini-disk or something? We can tape it. We can flog it. Sell it when we get home and make a mint."

I snorted in amusement.

The Doctor gave Martha a look. "No."

Martha looked sheepish. "That would be bad?"

"Yeah."

"Well, how come it disappeared in the first place?"

"I think it's worth looking into," I stated.

"Well, I was just gonna give you a quick trip in the TARDIS but I suppose we could stay a bit longer," the Doctor told Martha.

Sweet! I always did enjoy a good mystery.


	6. Meeting William Shakespeare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Ali has to help the Doctor and Martha solve a mystery.

The three of us located William Shakespeare in his room at The Elephant Inn. Shakespeare appeared to be discussing his play with two actors; the Doctor lightly knocked on the already opened door, letting our presence be known.

The Doctor gave the famous playwright a huge grin. "Hello! Excuse me! I'm not interrupting, am I? Mr. Shakespeare, isn't it?"

I peeked out from the Doctor's tall frame and gave the man a slight wave. "Pleased to meet you."

Shakespeare gave us both an annoyed look. "Oh no, no, no, no. Who let you two in? No autographs. No, the both of you may not have yourselves sketched with me. And please don't ask where I get my ideas from. Thanks for the interest. Now, just shove-"He noticed Martha, standing right next to me. "Hey, nonny, nonny. Sit right down here next to me. You two get sewing on them costumes. Off you go." Shakespeare ordered the two actors, still seated.

A blonde woman in her forties smiled slightly. "Come on, lads. I think our William found himself a new muse."

The three of them exited the room; the Doctor and Martha sat down at the table. Seeing that there weren't any more chairs available, I decided to stand in between Martha and the Doctor.

William Shakespeare took in Martha's modern clothes and gave them an appreciative glance. "Sweet lady. Such unusual clothes. So… fitted."

"Um, verily, forsooth, egads," Martha said, awkwardly.

Hmm. It seems like William Shakespeare has a crush on Martha Jones.

The Doctor quickly butts in. "No, no, don't do that. Don't." The Time Lord reaches into his coat pocket, pulls out what looks to be a brown leather wallet, flips it open, and shows it, Shakespeare. "I'm Sir Doctor of TARDIS, and these two are my companions, Miss Ali Carter and Miss Martha Jones."

Shakespeare took a quick look. "Interesting, that bit of paper. It's blank."

The Doctor seemed impressed with this revelation. "Oh, that's very clever. That proves it. Absolute genius."

Martha and I exchanged looks. What the hell was William Shakespeare going on about? We both peered down at the little piece of paper; I could see the words written clearly.

"No, it says so right there. Sir Doctor, Ali Carter, and Martha Jones. It says so," argued Martha.

"Yeah, I can see it too," I agreed.

"And I say it's blank," countered Shakespeare while smirking at us.

The Doctor sighed loudly. "Psychic paper. Um, long story. Oh, I hate starting out from scratch," He said to the two of us.

I scowled at him, feeling irritated. Were Martha and I supposed to know every trick in the book about time travel? We've only had one day of experience with it.

The Doctor placed the psychic paper back in his coat.

"Psychic. Never heard that before and words are my trade. Who are you exactly? More's the point, who is your delicious blackamoor lady?" asked Shakespeare.

I rolled my eyes. Could he be any more obvious with his flirting?

Martha looked stunned. "What did you say?"

Shakespeare smiled slightly, not seeming apologetic at all. "Oops. Isn't that a word we use nowadays? An Ethiop girl? A swarth? A Queen of Afric…"

"I can't believe I'm hearing this," Martha muttered to me.

"Neither can I," I responded.

"It's political correctness gone mad. Um, Ali and Martha are from a far-off land. Freedonia," explained the Doctor.

Suddenly, a loud voice bellowed out. "Excuse me!"

We turned around to see a tall large man wearing Elizabethan clothes standing in the doorway.

"Hold hard a moment. This is abominable behavior. A new play with no warning? I demand to see a script, Mr. Shakespeare. As Master of the Revels, every new script must be registered at my office and examined by me before it can be performed."

"Tomorrow morning, first thing, I'll send it 'round," informed Shakespeare.

"I don't work to your schedule, you work to mine. The script, now!" snapped the large man.

"I can't," answered Shakespeare.

"Then tomorrow's performance is canceled."

Geez. This guy is a total asshole.

"It's all go 'round here, isn't it?" murmured Martha.

"I'm returning to my office for a banning order. If it's the last thing I do, 'Love's Labours Won' will never be played," the man retorted angrily, before storming out of the room.

Mystery solved! How disappointing? I was expecting a bit more aliens on this adventure.

"Well, then… mystery solved. That's 'Love's Labours Won' over and done with. Thought it might be something more, you know… more mysterious," said Martha, stating my opinion out loud.

Unexpectedly, we heard the sound of someone screaming outside of the Inn. Everyone in the room rushed out onto the street to see the Master of the Revels choking up water.

Martha gasped loudly. "It's that Lynley bloke."

Um… did I miss something? When did we establish that his name was Lynley? Did I zone out or something? I hate it when I do that!

"What's wrong with him," the Doctor questioned as he raced to hold Lynley up. "Leave it to me, I'm a doctor."

Martha went over to assist him. "So am I, near enough."

Sadly, Lynley collapsed before the Doctor and Martha could do anything to help him. I stood to side feeling helpless as I watched Martha pressed her ear to Lynley's chest.

"Gotta get the heart going. Mr. Lynley, C'mon, can you hear me? You're going to be all right," comforted Martha.

Martha pried Lynley's mouth open in order to give him CPR, but water gushed out of his mouth. I quickly went over and crouched down next Lynley. Holy crap! Did he just drown on land? Unbelievable!

The Doctor wore a perplexed expression on his face. "I've never seen a death like it. His lungs are full of water – he drowned and then… I dunno, like a blow to the heart, an invisible blow."

The Doctor stood up and addressed the blonde woman, that was in charge of the Inn. "Good mistress, this poor fellow has died from a sudden imbalance of the humors. A natural if unfortunate demise. Call a constable and have him taken away."

Yeah, I smell bullshit on that explanation.

The blonde woman nodded her head. "Yes, sir."

A young woman with brown hair, dressed like a maid, stopped her. "I'll do it, ma'am."

The Doctor came back over and crouched down next to Martha and me.

"Doctor, why did you lie to them?" I asked quietly.

"This lot still have got one foot in the Dark Ages. If I tell them the truth, they'll panic and think it was witchcraft," explained the Doctor.

"Okay, what was it then?" inquired Martha.

"Witchcraft," stated the Doctor

I shuddered. Well, that's just freaking awesome. Not.

We were back in William Shakespeare's room at the Inn.

"There are two rooms available, Sir Doctor, Miss Carter, and Miss Jones. They're just across the landing," the blonde innkeeper announced.

I yawned loudly as I started to leave the room. "I call dibs on sleeping by myself." I gestured to the Doctor and Martha. "I guess the two of you will have to share the other room."

Martha seemed pleased. "That's fine."

I think I must be exhausted more than I thought because I could have sworn that I saw a flash of disappointment on his face.

I was able to find my room without any difficulty, and I was surprised to see that it looked better than my crappy motel room in St. Louis. There was a twin sized bed up against a wall, with a drapery hanging overhead. On the other side of the room, there was a wooden wardrobe.

Okay, I lied. My crappy motel room was better than this one because at least there was a TV in that room. Feeling tired, I plopped onto the bed, rolled over, and quickly went to sleep.

It felt like I just drifted off to sleep when a loud scream woke me up. Oh crap! Did someone else get murdered? I got out of bed and raced out of the room to investigate the scream. When I made it to William Shakespeare's room, I found that the Doctor and Martha had already beaten me there. I discovered the body of the blonde innkeeper laying on the floor, the Doctor was examining her body.

"Her heart gave out. She died of fright," exclaimed the Doctor.

I felt confused. "You're saying she died of a heart attack. That can't be right."

"Doctor? Ali?" I heard Martha cry out from the window.

The Doctor and I rushed over to the window.

"What did you see?" asked the Doctor.

"A witch," responded Martha, fearfully.

It was dawn and we were still in Shakespeare's room, discussing the unfortunate events.

"Oh, sweet Dolly Bailey. She sat out three bouts of the plague in this place. We all ran like rats. But what could have scared her so? She had such enormous spirit," said William Shakespeare, sadly.

"'Rage, rage against the dying of the light,'" quoted the Doctor.

"I might use that."

"You can't. It's someone else's."

Martha decided to cut in. "But the thing is, Lynley drowned on dry land, Dolly died of fright and they were both connected to you."

Shakespeare looked deeply offended. "You're accusing me?"

"No, she isn't saying that. It's just too much of a coincidence, that's all," I interjected.

"Yeah," agreed Martha. "I saw a witch, big as you like, flying, cackling away, and you've written about witches."

"I have? When was that?" asked Shakespeare, sounding confused.

"Not quite yet," muttered the Doctor in a low voice.

"Peter Streete spoke of witches," informed Shakespeare.

"Who's Peter Streete?" questioned Martha.

"Our builder. He sketched the plans for the Globe."

"The architect. Hold on," the Doctor's eyes lit up with excitement. "The architect! The Globe! Come on!" He cried out before running out of the room.

I grinned. I have no clue of what's going on, but I can't wait to find out!


	7. The Power of a Name

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Ali meets a witch.

The Doctor and I were standing in the pit - I think it's called that – while Shakespeare and Martha stood onstage. The Doctor looked upwards examining the columns of the theatre.

"The columns there, right? 14 sides. I've always wondered but I never asked… tell me, Will, why 14 sides?" the Doctor inquired.

"It was the shape Peter Streete thought best, that's all. Said it carried the sound well," responded Shakespeare.

The Doctor pondered this new information. "Why does that ring a bell? 14 sides…" he trailed off, lost in thought.

"There are fourteen lines in a sonnet," offered Martha.

"Nice one, Martha," I commented. I had forgotten that were indeed fourteen lines in a sonnet.

"So there is. Good point," the Doctor agreed. "Words and shapes following the same design." He started to pace back and forth, anxiously running his hands through his wonderful hair. "14 lines, 14 sides, 14 facets… oh, my head. Tetradecagon… think, think, think! Words, letters, numbers, lines!"

Fascinated, I bit my lip. Damn, he is hot while trying to figure stuff out.

"This is just a theatre," said William Shakespeare.

The Doctor walked up to the stage and placed one of his hands on it. "Oh, but a theatre's magic, isn't it? You should know. Stand on this stage; say the right words with the right emphasis at the right time. Oh, you can make men weep, or cry with joy, change them. You can change people's minds just with words in this place. And if you exaggerate that…"

"It's like your police box. Small wooden box with all that POWER inside," exclaimed Martha, smiling.

Hmm… I don't think Shakespeare will have that much luck in wooing Martha Jones. It looks like she has a massive crush on the Doctor.

"Oh. Oh, Martha Jones, I like you," the Doctor, crooned.

Martha grinned at his praise. Yep, she definitely has a crush on the Doctor.

The Doctor turned to stare at Shakespeare. "Tell you what, though. Peter Streete would know. Can I talk to him?"

"You won't get an answer. A month after finishing this place… he lost his mind," replied Shakespeare.

His response piqued my interest. "What happened to him?"

"He started to rave about witches, hearing voices, babbling. His mind was addled," answered Shakespeare.

I really hope alien witches are not a thing, but with my luck they totally are and they will probably try to eat me before the day is over.

"Where is he now?" the Doctor questioned.

"Bedlam."

"What's Bedlam?" Martha asked curiously.

"Bethlem Hospital. The madhouse," Shakespeare explained.

The Doctor wore a determined expression on his face. "We're gonna go there. Right now. Come on!" he ordered as he started to exit the theatre.

Wishing that Peter Streete resided in a house on the beach, I followed the Doctor with Martha close behind me.

"Wait! I'm coming with you. I want to witness this at first hand!" I heard William Shakespeare cry out.

-0-

Outside of the theatre in the street, the Doctor kept walking at a fast pace.

"Hey!" I shouted at him. "Do you mind slowing down, some of us have short legs, you know!"

The Doctor whirled around, grasped my left hand, and pulled me close. "Ali, I don't know what sort of answers we'll find at the madhouse, but I want you to stay close to me. Do you understand?"

I felt annoyed that he was treating me like a five-year-old, but I remembered that I almost died on my first adventure with him. So, I wisely kept my mouth shut and nodded my head.

The Time Lord simply smiled. "Good."

"So, tell me of Freedonia, where women can be doctors, writers, and actors," Shakespeare asked Martha.

"This country is ruled by a woman," stated Martha.

"Ah, she's royal. That's God's business. Though you are a royal beauty," said Shakespeare, sounding flirty.

I rolled my eyes. Smooth move, Shakespeare.

"Whoa, Nelly!" I heard Martha exclaim from behind me. "I know for a fact that you've got a wife in the country."

"But Martha, this is town," countered Shakespeare.

The Doctor stopped walking, turned around, and sighed loudly. "Come on. We can all have a good flirt later."

Shakespeare smirked in response. "Is that a promise, Doctor?"

Looking exasperated, the Doctor rolled his eyes. "Oh, 57 academics just punched the air. Now move!" he ordered.

-0-

If I could pick one word to describe Bethlam Hospital, it would be this: awful. The interior of this place was just awful. Everything was just way too loud; I could hear the screams of the patients throughout the entire hospital, and the smells coming from this place were just terrible. It smelled like the patients were not even allowed to bathe themselves.

It seems like ever since I had woken up in the hospital, my senses appear to be sharper than ever. Without thinking about it, I pressed myself closer to the Doctor's side, as we walked slowly down the hallway. The Doctor looked down at me; he wore a concerned expression on his face. "Ali, are you alright?"

I shook my head. "I don't think you have to worry about me wandering off, Doctor."

The Doctor lightly squeezed my hand in comfort.

The jailer that had been leading us, turned around. "Does my lord, Doctor, wish some entertainment while he waits? I'd whip these madmen. They'll put on a good show for ya."

I glared at him. This guy shouldn't be in charge of anything!

"No, I don't!" the Doctor snapped, angrily.

The jailer didn't notice the Doctor's angry tone. "Wait here, my lords, while I make him decent for the ladies," he said, as he walked away.

Martha turned to face Shakespeare. "So this is what you call a hospital, yeah? Where the patients are whipped to entertain the gentry? And you put your friend in here?"

Shakespeare scoffed. "Oh, and it's all so different in Freedonia."

"But you're clever! Do you honestly think this place is any good?" argued Martha.

"I've been mad. I've lost my mind. Fear of this place set me right again. It serves its purpose," said Shakespeare.

"You lost your son," the Doctor spoke up, softly. He had an unreadable expression on his face.

Shakespeare nodded. "My only boy. The Black Death took him. I wasn't even there."

Martha looked sympathetic. "I didn't know. I'm sorry."

Shakespeare continued. "It made me question everything. The futility of this fleeting existence. To be or not to be… oh, that's quite good."

"You should write that down," the Doctor offered.

Shakespeare considered it for a moment. "Hm, maybe not. A bit pretentious?"

Suddenly, we heard the jailer call out from the end of the hallway. "This way, m' lord!"

-0-

The jailer unlocked Peter's cell, and then we entered the filthy place. "They can be dangerous, m' lord. Don't know their own strength."

The Doctor glared at the jailer. "I think it helps if you don't whip them! Now get out!" he ordered.

Peter Streete, I noticed, was a sickly looking man with greasy brown hair covered with dirt. I pitied that he was stuck in this horrible place. The Doctor approached slowly to where Peter was sitting. "Peter? Peter Streete?" he called out to Peter.

"He's the same as he was. You'll get nothing out of him," said Shakespeare, sadly.

The Doctor gently placed his hand on Peter Streete's shoulder. Peter jerked his head to stare at the Doctor with glassy eyes. The Doctor knelt down in front of Peter and placed his hands on the sides of Peter's forehead. "Peter, I'm the Doctor. Go into the past, one year ago. Let your mind go back, back to when everything was fine and shining. Everything that happened in this year since happened to somebody else. It was just a story. A winter's tale. Let go. Listen. That's it, just let go." The Doctor lets Peter fall back onto his cot. "Tell me the story, Peter. Tell me about the witches."

My jaw dropped open in shock. The Doctor is totally Spock with his alien mind tricks. Awesome.

Peter Streete began to tell his story, in the third person, for some strange reason. "Witches spoke to Peter. In the night, they whispered. Got Peter to build the globe to their design. THEIR design! The 14 walls – always 14." Peter cackled. "When the work was done they sapped poor Peter's wits."

Man, who knew that alien witches could be major bitches. I wondered if there was anything that the Doctor could do to fix Peter Streete's mind.

"Where did Peter see the witches? Where in the city?" the Doctor pressed. "Peter, tell me. You've got tell me where were they?"

"All Hallows Street," breathed, Peter.

"Too many words," a voice suddenly called out. We all jumped in surprise at the sight of an old woman suddenly appearing in the cell next to Peter Streete. The Doctor quickly backed away from Peter and stood protectively in front of me.

"What the hell?" Martha yelled out.

The old woman wore a raggedy black dress, stringy grey hair, and a warty face. She looked like a stereotypical witch from a fairy tale. She held up her pointer finger and waved it warningly in front of us. "Just one touch of the heart," the witch placed that finger on Peter's chest.

The Doctor yelled out and tried to stop her, but he was too late, Peter was already dead. I felt my eyes go all watery. Even though I didn't know Peter, he didn't deserve to get murdered by a witch.

"Witch! I'm seeing a witch!" exclaimed Shakespeare.

I rolled my eyes. Yeah, no shit! What else would she be? The freaking tooth fairy!

The witch waved her finger in front of us. "Who would be next, hmm? Just one touch. I'll stop your frantic hearts. Poor, fragile mortals."

Martha hurried over to the cell door. "Let us out! Let us out!"

The Doctor's eyes never left the witch, as he stated. "That's not gonna work. The whole building is shouting that."

"Who will die first, hmm?" questioned the witch. The Doctor took a step forward. "Well, if you're looking for volunteers," he quipped.

My eyes widened in fear. "Are you out of your damn mind?" I shouted at the Doctor.

"Oi, don't swear!"

I snorted. "Seriously?" I huffed.

"Doctor, can you stop her?" questioned Shakespeare. The creature scoffed. "No mortal has power over me."

"Oh, but there's a power in words. If I can just find the right one – if I can just know you…" the Doctor shot back. The witch glared at him. "None on earth has knowledge of us."

"Then it's a good thing I'm here," the Doctor retorted. "Now think, think, think… Humanoid female uses shapes and words to channel energy…" The creature looked slightly worried that the Doctor was able to figure out that much about her. The Doctor continued. "14! That's it! 14! The 14 stars of the Rexel planetary configuration! Creature, I name you Carrionite!"

The Carrionite shrieked and vanished in a blinding light. "How did you do that?" I gasped. The Doctor turned to answer me. "I named her. The power of a name. That's old magic."

"But there's no such thing as magic," said Martha, sounding confused. "Well, it's just a different sort of science," the Doctor drawled. "You lot, you chose mathematics. Given the right string of numbers, the right equation, you can split the atom. Carrionites use words instead," he explained.

"Use them for what?" inquired Shakespeare.

"The end of the world," the Doctor replied.

Well, so much for this being a peaceful trip. I thought sarcastically.


	8. Something Wicked in London

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ali meets the leader of the Carrionites and receives a scary prophecy about her future.

We were all gathered around a table in William Shakespeare's room. I was sitting right next to the Doctor; I turned slightly to look at him. "Are you going tell us what the deal is with these Carrionites, Doctor?" I asked him. The Doctor nodded his head. "The Carrionites disappeared way back at the dawn of the universe. Nobody was sure if they were real or legend."

"Well, I'm going for real," stated Shakespeare.

"But what do they want?" questioned Martha. The Doctor leaned back. "A new empire on Earth. A world of bones and blood and witchcraft." I rolled my eyes at his response. "So, basically they want the end of the world. Typical." The Doctor smirked, slightly.

"But how?" inquired Martha.

The Doctor simply stared at Shakespeare. "I'm looking at the man with the words."

Shakespeare had a surprised look on his face. "Me? But I've done nothing." Martha suddenly realized something important. "Hold on, though. What were you doing last night, when that Carrionite was in the room?" she asked.

"Finishing the play," answered Shakespeare. "What did you write on the last page?" I questioned him. Shakespeare shrugged his shoulders. "The boys get the girls. They have a bit of a dance. It's all as funny and thought-provoking as usual – except those last few lines," his eyes widened a bit. "Funny thing is… I don't actually remember writing them."

The Doctor suddenly stood up. "That's it. They used you. They gave you the final words. Like a spell, like a code. 'Love's Labours Won' – it's a weapon! The right combination of words, spoken at the right place with the shape of the Globe as an energy converter! The play's the thing!" He gave Shakespeare a tiny nod. "And yes, you can have that."

-0-

William Shakespeare had managed to find a map of London; the four of us were currently trying to find All Hallows Street. The Doctor placed a single finger on the map. "All Hallows Street. There it is. Ali, Martha, and I will track them down," He turned to look at Shakespeare. "Will, you get to the Globe. Whatever you do, stop that play," ordered the Doctor.

"I'll do it." Shakespeare shook the Doctor's hand. "All these years I've been the cleverest man around. Next, to you, I know nothing." Martha rolled her eyes, looking slightly annoyed. "Oh, don't complain." Shakespeare grinned. "I'm not. It's marvelous. Good luck, Doctor."

"Good luck, Shakespeare," replied the Doctor as he grabbed my hand and headed for the door. "Once more unto the breach!"

"I like that. Wait a minute… that's one of mine," said Shakespeare sounding pleased.

-0-

Ever since I've met the Doctor it seems like I've been running nonstop. Seriously what is the deal with all the running? "Please tell me that this is All Hallows Street, Doctor," I asked while gasping for breath. The Doctor nodded. "This is All Hallows Street, but which house?"

"The thing is, Doctor," said Martha, pulling the Doctor's attention away from the houses. "The world didn't end in 1599. It just didn't. Look at me and Ali – We're living proof."

"Yeah, 2007 looked fine the last time I checked. There weren't any Carrionites ruling the earth," I added. The Doctor sighed loudly. "Oh, how to explain the mechanics of the infinite temporal flux? I know! 'Back to the Future'! It's like 'Back to the Future'!" He explained.

"The film?" asked Martha. I snorted. What else could the Doctor be talking about?

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "No, the novelization. Yes, the film. Marty Mcfly goes back and changes history." Martha looked shocked. "And he starts to fade away. Oh my God, are we gonna fade away," She gestured toward me.

"You, Ali, and the entire future of the human race. It ends right now in 1599 if we don't stop it. But which house?" the Doctor inquired.

I realized sadly that Martha didn't know that I wasn't a part of the human race, even though I still feel like a human being. I felt grateful to the Doctor that he didn't correct Martha, because I have no idea what I really am right now.

A door to one of the houses opened by itself, snapping me out of my thoughts. I pointed at the door. "Doctor, look!"

"Ah, make that WITCH house," responded the Doctor. I groaned at the use of a terrible pun, the Doctor simply smirked at me.

-0-

When we made it to the second floor, the Doctor slowly pushed the door of the last room in the house open. The Carrionite had to be in this room, there were no other places for the alien to hide. We stepped inside to see a huge black cauldron in the center of the room, next to the cauldron stood a young looking woman with light brown hair. To my surprise I recognized her; she was the maid that worked at The Elephant Inn. The witch smirked at the sight of us; I realized that she knew that we were coming. Well, so much for the element of surprise.

The Doctor quirked an eyebrow at the creature. "I take it we're expected."

"Oh, I think Death has been waiting for you a very long time," she replied. A feeling of protectiveness went through me and I growled in response. "Don't even think about it, witch!"

The Carrionite wasn't bothered by my words; instead, she shot me a gleeful look. I gulped. Well, shit, so much for being a bad-ass. Hmm… the night is still young; I might get another shot at it. Apparently, the Doctor didn't like the look that the alien was giving me either, because he pushed me behind him, getting me out of the creature's line of sight. At that moment, Martha took a step forward and pointed a finger at the Carrionite. "Right then, it's my turn. I know how to do this. I name thee, Carrionite!"

The Carrionite let out a pretend gasp, and then she smirked at Martha, unaffected by her words. Martha gave the Doctor a confused look. "What did I do wrong? Was it the finger?" The alien rolled her eyes and sighed. "The power of the name works only once. Observe," she pointed a finger at Martha. "I gaze upon this bag of bones and now I name thee Martha Jones."

Martha started to collapse; I quickly sped over and caught her before she hit the ground. What the hell was going on with me? I usually have crappy reflexes. This didn't make any sense to me at all! I noticed that the Doctor didn't look surprised that I caught Martha so quickly. What wasn't he telling me? The Doctor came over and helped me lower Martha to the floor. "What have you done?" he asked in a cold voice. The Carrionite stared at her finger with a puzzled look on her face. "Only sleeping, alas. Curious, the name has less impact. She's somehow out of her time." She turned to me and gave me a sinister smile. "And as for you, little one…"

The Doctor stood up protectively in front of me. "Don't you dare! Leave her alone!" he snarled at her. I was taken back by his sudden anger. I haven't had anyone looking out for me in a very long time; I certainly wasn't used to it.

The Carrionite didn't even flinch at the Doctor's sudden display of anger, instead, she simply cackled. "It is too late for that, she is already involved! For I can see her name seared into time and space," she gave me a feral grin. "She will be consumed by drums, the cursed little Sphinx!"

I felt a sense of cold dread spread throughout my body before I closed my eyes and was met with darkness.

When I woke up, I realized that my head was on someone's lap. I felt long slender fingers caressing the sides of my face. "Doctor." I murmured. "What happened to the Carrionite?" The Doctor slowly helped me to stand up. "She's gone. She flew out the window," answered the Doctor. I gaped at him. "She flew out the window!" I exclaimed. "Well, that's just cheating."

The Doctor grinned, looking relieved that I was fine. "I know! That's exactly what I said!"

"Doctor!" interrupted Martha. "We need to get to the Globe!" The Doctor winced at Martha's annoyed tone. "Come on then, Ali and Martha. Let's head for the Globe!"

-0-

After a few wrong turns, we finally made it to the Globe, but we were too late to stop the Carrionites. I could hear loud screaming coming from the theatre, and the sky was blood red right above it. I spotted the crazy homeless guy from when we first arrived. "I told thee so! I told thee!" he shouted at the sky. "Shut up!" I snapped at him. "You're so not helping."

"The stage door!" the Doctor cried out. "We need to find the stage door. Come on!" He grabbed my hand and then we rushed off with Martha following right behind us.

We found William Shakespeare backstage lying on the floor rubbing the back of his head. The Doctor glared down at the playwright. "Stop the play! I think that was it. Yeah, I said 'Stop the play'!" I smacked the Doctor's arm. "Leave him alone! The Carrionites probably did something to him."

"I hit my head," muttered Shakespeare. "Yeah, don't rub it, you'll go bald," the Doctor retorted. At that moment loud screams came from out front. "I think that's my cue!"

Once we were all outside on the stage, we discovered that everything had been turned into a state of chaos. The audience members were now trapped inside the theatre screaming in terror at the sight of a swirling vortex of energy. Looking up I spotted three Carrionites on a balcony, they stared at the vortex with glee. "Now begins the millennium of blood!" they screeched.

We watched in horror as the rest of the Carrionites were freed and started to fly around the Globe. The Doctor grabbed Shakespeare and pushed him towards the end of the stage. "Come on, Will! History needs you!" yelled the Doctor. "But what can I do?" asked Shakespeare. "Reverse it!" ordered the Doctor. "How am I supposed to do that?" questioned Shakespeare with a slight trace of fear in his voice.

"The shape of the Globe gives words power, but you're the wordsmith, the one true genius. The only man clever enough to do it!" explained the Doctor. "But what words? I have none ready!" protested Shakespeare. I turned to face him. "What the hell is wrong with you?" I shouted. "You're William Shakespeare!"

"But these Carrionite phrases, they need such precision!" insisted Shakespeare. We were running out of time, the Carrionites were having a blast flying around and terrorizing the people in the audience.

"Trust yourself. When you're locked away in your room, the words just come, don't they, like magic. Words of the right sound, the right shape, the right rhythm – words that last forever! That's what you do, you choose perfect words. Do it. Improvise!" coached the Doctor as he took a step back and pulled me back behind him.

Shakespeare stared up at the flying Carrionites, extended his hand out towards the creatures, and began to speak. "Close up this den of hateful, dire decay! Decomposition of your witches' plot! You thieve my brains, consider me your toy. My doting Doctor tells me I am not!"

"No! Words of power!" screamed the leader of the Carrionites. William Shakespeare took a deep breath before continuing on. "Foul Carrionite specters, cease your show! Between the points…" he turned to the Doctor for guidance. "7-6-1-3-9-0!" offered the Doctor.

"7-6-1-3-9-0!" repeated Shakespeare. "And banished like a tinker's cuss, I say to thee…" Once more William Shakespeare looks to the Doctor for help, but the Doctor couldn't think of anything to say.

The Doctor turned to me. "Ali…" My mind went blank. I had no idea what to say either.

Martha shouted out. "Expelliarmus!"

"Expelliarmus!" yelled Shakespeare.

"Good old JK!" commented the Doctor. The Carrionites screamed as they all got swept up into the vortex along with the pages of Shakespeare's play.

"Well, I guess we know what happened to the play now," I told the Doctor with a small smile. The Doctor nodded. " 'Love's Labours Won' There it goes."

The vortex disappears and the crowd begins to cheer.

Martha stared at me in shock. "They think it was all special effects."

I shrugged my shoulders. "Just play along," I said before taking a bow. William Shakespeare shot Martha a flirty grin. "Your effect is special indeed." I snorted. That was a terrible line.

Martha seemed to agree with me. "It's not your best line."

-0-

The following morning the four of us were back at the Globe. The Doctor wanted to search the entire theatre in case there were any more pages of the lost play. I was backstage with the Doctor while Martha was out front with Shakespeare.

"Hey Ali, look at this," the Doctor called out. I turned to see the Doctor holding up an animal skull. I made a face at it. "Ugh. It looks creepy."

"Yeah," he drawled. "It reminds me of something…" the Doctor trailed off, lost in thought.

"Doctor?" I started to ask hesitantly. The Doctor pulled his attention away from the skull and looked at me with a concerned expression. "Ali, what is it? What's wrong?"

I took a deep breath to try to calm myself. "Doctor, why did that Carrionite call me Sphinx –"

"Martha!" the Doctor cried suddenly, interrupting me. I blinked at him feeling confused. "What?" The Doctor now had a guilty expression on his face. "I think I should probably fetch Martha," he said before rushing away.

I frowned. Yeah, the Doctor knew something about me that he wasn't telling me. I waited a moment before following the Doctor onstage.

"What about the play?" I heard Martha ask the Doctor.

"Gone. I looked all over – every single copy of 'Love's Labours Won' went up in the sky," responded the Doctor.

"My lost masterpiece," murmured Shakespeare.

"You could try to write it up again," said Martha, trying to comfort him. The Doctor quickly interjected. "Yeah, better not, Will. There's still power in those words. Maybe it should best stay forgotten.

"Oh, but I got new ideas," replied Shakespeare. "Perhaps it's time I wrote about fathers and sons. In memory of my boy – my precious Hamnet."

My eyes widened as he said that last statement. William Shakespeare was about to write his famous play, Hamlet.

Martha looked incredulous. "Hamnet?"

"That's him," agreed Shakespeare.

"Ham-NET?" repeated Martha.

"What's wrong with that?"

The Doctor quickly interrupted them. "Anyway, about time we're off." He holds up the crystal that the Carrionites are in. "I've got a nice attic in the TARDIS where this lot can scream for all eternity and I've got to take Ali and Martha back to Freedonia."

"You mean travel on through time and space," corrected Shakespeare. The Doctor was stunned. "You what?"

"You're from another world like the Carrionites. Martha and Ali are both from the future; it's not that hard to work out," stated Shakespeare.

Damn, the Doctor was right. William Shakespeare is a genius!

"That's… incredible. You are incredible," said the Doctor, in awe.

"We're alike in many ways, Doctor," Shakespeare turned to Martha. "Martha, let me say goodbye to you in a new verse. A sonnet for my Dark Lady. Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate-"

Suddenly two actors entered the Globe, interrupting Shakespeare.

"Will! Will! You'll never believe it! She's here! She's turned up!" one of the actors yelled out.

"We're the talk of the town. She heard about last night! She wants us to perform it again," the other actor exclaimed.

Martha shot me a confused look. "Who?"

"I don't know," I whispered back.

"Her Majesty! She's here!" answered the man as Queen Elizabeth the First came into view.

The Doctor grinned. "Queen Elizabeth the First!"

The queen glared at the Doctor. "Doctor!"

The Doctor gaped at her. "What?"

"My sworn enemy!" yelled Queen Elizabeth.

The Doctor still looked shocked. "What?"

"Off with his head!"

"What?" the Doctor exclaimed once more.

"Doctor, I think it's time to go," I told him.

"Never mind 'what', just run," ordered Martha.

Having no time to say goodbye to William Shakespeare, the three of us took off running towards the TARDIS. "Stop that pernicious Doctor!" shouted Queen Elizabeth.

-0-

We raced down the street where we parked the TARDIS with the queen's soldiers right behind us. "Stop in the name of the Queen!"

"What have you done to upset her?!" asked Martha.

"He probably ditched her at the altar or something," I retorted.

The Doctor's cheeks turned slightly pink. "How should I know? Haven't even met her yet. That's time travel for you!" We finally made it to the TARDIS, the Doctor hurried to unlock it letting Martha and I go in first. "Still, I can't wait to find out. It's something to look forward to," he continued before ducking in barely getting missed by an arrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ko-fi.com/midnightalley Buy Me A Coffee!


	9. The Planet of New Earth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the Doctor takes Martha and Ali to New Earth and Ali gets kidnapped by two mysterious strangers.

The three of us were hanging out in the control room, the Doctor standing by the console flipping some levers while Martha was sitting on the captain's chair. I was currently standing opposite of the Doctor, watching him messing with the console. He was looking extremely hot wearing his brown pinstriped suit.

"Just one trip. Is what I said. One trip in the TARDIS, and then home," the Doctor rambled to Martha. He sent a dazzling grin in her direction. "Although – I suppose we could – stretch the definition. Try one trip to the past, one trip to the future. How do you fancy that?"

Martha beamed. "No complaints from me!"

I frowned slightly. Ever since we got back from the Shakespeare trip, the Doctor has refused to look at me. He is definitely hiding something from me and I'm going to find out what that is.

"How about a different planet?" the Doctor asked. Martha looked excited at the idea. "Can we go to yours?" I could see the excitement drain away on the Doctor's face as he turned from Martha. "Ahh, there's plenty of other places!"

"Come on, though!" exclaimed Martha. "I mean, Planet of the Time Lords, that's got to be worth a look!"

The Doctor stared down at the console. "Well, it's beautiful, yeah."

"Is it like, you know, outer space cities, all spires and stuff?"

"I suppose it is," murmured the Doctor.

"Great big temples and cathedrals!"

"Yeah," the Doctor said, sadly.

It's obvious to me that the Doctor doesn't really want to talk about his home planet. Did something horrible happen to him there? Was he a criminal that got exiled from his own planet? Should I even trust the Doctor at all? I mean I already know that he isn't telling me something, I just want to know the truth.

"Lots of planets in the sky?" questioned Martha.

The Doctor finally looked up from the console. "The sky's a burnt orange, with the citadel enclosed in a mighty glass dome, shining under the twin suns. Beyond that, the mountains go on forever – slopes of deep red grass, capped with snow."

Wow! The Planet of the Time Lords sounds like a place you might find in a fairy tale. Martha had an enthralled expression on her face. "Can we go there?"

"Naah!" the Doctor loudly exclaimed. "Where's the fun for me? I don't want to go home! Instead…" He starts to move around the console, flipping switches. "This is much better. Year five billion and fifty-three, planet New Earth! Second hope of mankind! Fifty thousand light years from your old world, and we're slap bang in the middle of New New York. Although, technically it's the fifteenth New York since the original, so it's New New New New New New New New New New New New New New York. One of the most dazzling cities ever built."

The Doctor runs over to the doors while throwing on his long brown overcoat and like a gentleman he opened the doors for Martha and I. Once outside we were immediately met with pouring rain. Martha scowled and zipped up her red leather jacket. "Oh, that's nice! Time Lord version of dazzling."

I groaned and pulled my hood over my already sopping wet hair. "I hate getting caught in the rain."

The Doctor had a different reaction to the rain; he looked up at the sky and grinned. "Nah, a bit of rain never hurt anyone. Come on, let's get under cover!"

-0-

So far I have been disappointed with the planet of New Earth. It seemed that we were just in a crappy downtown area of a typical city back home.

"Well, it looks like the same old earth to me. On a Wednesday afternoon," stated Martha. "Yeah," I agreed. "I was expecting something… pretty, for our first alien planet." Martha huffed in agreement. "Tell me about it."

The Doctor ignored our complaining and continued to explore the dirty alleyway like it was some lost temple. He spotted a big screen on the wall a short distance ahead, the screen had an awning over it. "Hold on, hold on. Let's have a look," he said while gesturing over to the dead screen. Martha and I followed closely behind him, both of us eager to get out of the rain. I watched as the Doctor did something clever with his sonic screwdriver causing the screen to turn on. At first, there was only static, but the Doctor banged his fist against the screen, after a moment a blonde newswoman appeared. "- and the driving should be clear and easy, with fifteen extra lanes open for the New New Jersey expressway."

The image on the screen changed to show us a view of a field of green grass with flying cars zooming around in a light blue sky. Why couldn't the Doctor have taken us there? That's what I have in mind when I think of an alien planet! The Doctor grinned at the image. "Oh, that's more like it! That's the New Earth we had last time. This must be the lower levels. Down in the base of the tower, some sort of undercity."

"You've brought me to the slums?" questioned Martha, sounding irritated. "Much more interesting!" countered the Doctor. "It's all cocktails and glitter up there. This is the real city." He grinned. "You'd enjoy anything," replied Martha, smiling slightly. "I wouldn't mind getting a drink," I muttered. Suddenly, the rain stopped pouring down. The Doctor looked up, his hair still dripping wet and beamed. "Oh, the rain's stopping! Better and better!"

"When you say 'last time', was that you and Rose?" I piped in. The Doctor's smile fell somewhat. "Um - yeah. Yeah, it was, yeah." Martha had an annoyed expression on her face. "You're taking us to the same planets that you took her?"

"What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing. Just – ever heard of the word 'rebound'?" asked Martha as she stalked away. I turned to glare at the Doctor. "What the hell is wrong with you?" He had the decency to look wounded. "What did I do now!" he exclaimed. I simply rolled my eyes and didn't even bother to respond as I followed Martha. Was the man that blind? It was so obvious that Martha had feelings for the time-traveling alien.

At that moment a man opened up the top of a large metal box that was obviously a vendor's cart. All around us, there were other vendors doing the same thing. Hmm… we were probably in a marketplace of some sort. As soon as the vendors spotted us they began to call out, trying to get us to come over and buy something from them.

"Oh! You should have said. How long have you been there? Happy! You want Happy!"

"Customers! Customers! We've got customers!"

"We're in business! Mother, open up the Mellow, and the Read!"

"Happy, Happy, lovely happy Happy!"

"Anger! Buy some Anger!"

"Get some Mellow, makes you feel all bendy and soft all day long!"

"Younger, them. They'll rip you off. Do you want some happy?"

The Doctor scowled at the vendors. "No thanks."

"Are they selling drugs?" inquired Martha. "I think they're selling moods," stated the Doctor. "The same thing, isn't it?" muttered Martha. I lightly punched the Doctor in his arm. "Ow!" he cried out. "Why did you hit me for?"

"So, not only you've brought us to the slums, you've brought us to the druggie area of the slums!" I yelled. The Doctor winced. "Sorry." One of the vendors noticed my little outburst. "You have too much anger, luv! How about you get some Happy?" I glared at the man. "Shut up! You're next on my shit list!"

Martha snickered. "Wow, Ali! Remind me not to piss you off." I smiled and shrugged my shoulders. "I don't do drugs." A very pale woman dressed in black appeared and approached one of the vendors.

"Come over here, yeah. And what can I get you, my love?" asked the vendor.

"I want to buy Forget," replied the pale woman.

"I've got Forget, my darling. What strength? How much you want forgetting?"

"It's my mother and father. They went on the motorway."

"Oh, that's so sweet," stated the vendor lady as she reached behind the counter, and pulled out a small circular patch. She held out the patch to the pale woman. "Try this. Forget Forty-three. That's two pence." The pale woman paid the vendor lady and received her Forget patch. The Doctor quickly intervened before the pale woman could do anything. "Sorry, but – hold on a minute. What happened to your parents?"

"They drove off," responded the pale woman.

"They might drive back."

The pale woman shook her head at the Doctor. "Everyone goes to the motorway in the end. I've lost them."

I felt bad for the pale woman; I know what it feels like to lose both of your parents. "Well, it's not like they're dead. They could come back," I told her. The woman didn't respond, she simply placed the patch on her neck. The woman's expression immediately glazed over. "I'm sorry, what were you saying?" The Doctor gently reminded her. "Your parents. Your mother and father. They're on the motorway."

"Are they? That's nice," the pale woman replied. Martha and I exchanged horrified glances; we couldn't believe that this was actually happening. "I'm sorry. I won't keep you," she said before walking away.

"So that's the human race five billion years into the future. Off their heads on chemicals," scoffed Martha. Suddenly someone throws their arm around my neck, pulling me backward. I turned my head, trying to get a good look at my captor. It was a man in his thirties, I guessed. "Let me go!" I screamed angrily. "I'm sorry, I'm really sorry. We just need three that's all," said the man, sounding apologetic.

The Doctor tried to lunge forward, but a woman blocked his path by pointing a gun at him. "No, let her go! I'm warning you, let her go! Whatever you want, I can help! But first, you got to let her go!" he screamed in desperation.

My kidnappers didn't listen to him, instead, the man drags me kicking and screaming, through a large metal door.

-0-

After pulling me through another alleyway and down a fire escape, I decided to give my kidnappers a piece of my temper. "How dare you! If you don't let me go right now, I'm going to make you regret it!"

"Give her some Sleep," the man ordered his partner.

My eyes widened in fear. "No! Please, don't!"

"It's just Sleep Fourteen," comforted the woman as she placed the patch on my neck. I tried to fight it, but eyes closed against my will.


	10. Monsters in the Fog

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Ali discovers that her kidnappers are nice and she begins to think that she might not be human.

Well, shit! This just hasn't been my week. I thought groggily as I slowly eased back into consciousness. I took a good look at my surroundings. There were dozens of boxes filled with what I assumed to be food and other useful supplies. What the hell happened? Oh, yeah. Now, I remember, I had gotten kidnapped. Angrily, I searched for the sleep patch that was placed on my neck; once I found it I ripped it off and threw it on the ground. My kidnappers were straight ahead seated at the front of the car.

"The sky… They say the sky smells of apple grass. Can you imagine?" said the woman. Her partner in crime replied. "The houses are made of wood. There are jobs going in the foundries. Everyone says so!"

I spotted a gun sitting on top of a computer screen, but I ignored it because I wouldn't even know how to use one. I quietly slid off the cot that I was lying on, and approached my kidnappers. "Alright, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum. I just want to be taken back to my friends. That's all I want. I promise I won't cause trouble as long as you take me back."

They both turned to look at me, confused. "Who are Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum?" questioned the man.

"Um…" I stuttered, thrown by the fact that they didn't understand my Alice in Wonderland reference. Geez. I guess humans in the year five billion, don't read Alice in Wonderland. The black woman with curly dark hair shot me an apologetic smile. "My name is Cheen, and this Milo," she gestured to the man sitting right next to her. "What's your name?" asked Cheen.

"It's Ali Carter."

"Listen, Ali, we're really sorry. We just needed access to the fast lane, but I promise, as soon as we arrive, we'll drop you off and you can go back to your friends."

I gave her a look of pure disbelief. "Seriously?"

"I swear!" protested Cheen. "Look." She pulled back her dark hair to reveal one of those chemical patches. "Honesty patch."

I rolled my eyes at the woman. "Okay, you're telling me the truth. But you didn't have to pull a gun on me-"

"Oh, that wasn't a real gun," interrupted Cheen.

"What?!"

"Well, where does one even get a gun these days? I wouldn't even know how to fire one," defended Cheen. I sighed heavily, completely fed up with this whole situation. "Whatever. Can you tell me where we are exactly?"

"We're on the motorway," answered Milo, speaking up for the first time in a while. I fought the urge to roll my eyes at him. Yes, thank you for that very descriptive answer, Milo. Staring out of the front window I could see that there was nothing out there except for fog. "Is that fog?" I inquired.

Cheen snorted in amusement. "That's the exhaust fumes."

"We're going out to Brooklyn," added Milo. "Everyone says that the air is so much cleaner, and we discovered that we couldn't stay in Pharmacy Town, because…" He trailed off, rubbing Cheen's knee. She turned and smiled at me her face glowing with happiness. "Well, it's because of me. I'm pregnant. We only discovered it last week. Scan says it's going to be a boy."

Milo made a little victory gesture. "Yes."

Normally when I receive news like this I would congratulate them, but this isn't a normal situation. "Yeah, I think I will pass on congratulating my kidnappers," I said sarcastically.

"Oh, we're not kidnappers. Not really," replied Cheen.

Okay, now I'm pissed off. "Seriously! You guys dragged me away kicking and screaming, and then you knocked me out! How is that not kidnapping?" My kidnappers had the decency to look ashamed. Good, they should be. But I wasn't finished with them yet. "I may not be a medical student like my friend Martha, but I know enough that's it not healthy to wear a patch while pregnant," I snapped while ripping the honesty patch off of Cheen's neck. "Not anymore you're not."

Milo shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "This'll be as fast as we can. We'll take the motorway to the Brooklyn flyover, and then after that, it's gonna take a while, 'cause then there's no fast lane, just ordinary roads, but at least it's direct."

"It's only ten miles," stated Cheen.

I sighed heavily. "Fine, how long will it take to get there?"

"About six years."

Oh, hell no! Please, let them be joking.

"Be just in time for him to start school," giggled Cheen.

Yeah, being stuck in here for six years is going to be hell.

-0-

Feeling bored I decided to stare out of the side window. There wasn't anything exciting to look at only exhaust fumes and vehicles. "Cheen, how many cars are out there?" I asked absently.

"I don't think anyone knows," She reaches behind her, pulls out a container, and then she takes out what looks like a large thin biscuit. "Here, you must be hungry." She says while handing me the biscuit.

"Thanks." I took a bite and my stomach growled in response. I couldn't even remember the last time I've eaten anything. The biscuit was extremely dry, but I guess beggars can't be choosers so I quickly devoured it.

I looked up to see Cheen giving me an amused look. "Wow, you must have been hungry."

I glared at her. "Obviously," I snapped. Cheen held her hands up in defense. "Sorry, I shouldn't have said anything."

I felt a slight twinge of guilt, but I pushed it down. I wished that I met these people under different circumstances, they seemed really nice, and it's a shame that they kidnapped me. No thank you, Patty Hearst, I 'm not interested in buying Stockholm syndrome today.

"So, how far is this fast lane?" I asked feeling impatient. Even though I don't like the idea of being some damsel wanting the Doctor to come and rescue me. However, I can admit that I'm out of my element, and I probably need the Doctor's help to get out of this situation.

"Oh, its right at the bottom, underneath the traffic jam. But not many people can afford three passengers, so it's empty down there. Rumor has it you can reach up to thirty miles per hour," answered Milo.

I shot him a look of fake awe. "Oh my god! That's like so fast!" Milo and Cheen burst into fits of laughter.

I stared, horrified by their laughter. Why are they laughing? That wasn't supposed to funny, I don't want my kidnappers to like me. Ugh, I just can't wait to get out of here and get back on the TARDIS.

Quick, Ali, you need to say something rude.

"I can't believe that you guys live in this thing, it's tiny." Yeah, that's a good one. Insulting their ride, they'll be annoyed by my presence in no time at all.

Cheen didn't notice my lame attempt at rudeness. "Oh, we stocked up. Got self-replicating fuel, muscle stimulants for exercise, and there's a chemical toilet in the back. And all waste products are recycled as food."

Hang on! Did she just say…? Oh, hell no! Did I eat a recycled poop biscuit?

"You let me ate a poop biscuit!" I said in outrage. Cheen shrugged her shoulders, looking apologetic. Before I could say anything else, an electronic voice beeped out. "Car sign in." Milo grinned and spoke into a transmitter. "Car Four Six Five Diamond Six, on the descent into the fast lane, thank you very much."

"Please drive safely," beeped the electronic voice once more.

-0-

Time slowly crept by, I could feel the car driving farther down into the fog. Ahem… I meant the exhaust fumes. I winced as a vehicle nearby loudly honked its horn; I couldn't wait to get away from these cars and into the fast lane.

Milo pointed to a blue screen that was close to him. The screen depicted a line on it showing us the descent of the car that we were in. "See? Another ten layers to go. We're scorching," he smiled.

"That's the best news I've heard all day," I murmured to myself. Suddenly, a loud growl emitted from somewhere deep below. "Please, tell me that everyone heard that," I stated uneasily. Milo and Cheen didn't respond, but they both had uncomfortable looks on their faces.

We all heard the growl once more. I swiftly got off the bed that I was laying on, and crouched down by the floor. "I think it's coming from underneath," I told them.

"It does have noise, doesn't it? It's like Kate said. The stories are true," said Cheen.

"What the hell are you talking about? What stories?" I questioned, feeling annoyed at not knowing something. Milo let out an exasperated sigh. "It's the sound of the air vents. That's all. The exhaust fumes travel down, so at the base of the tunnel they've got air vents."

I wanted to call out bullshit on his explanation. That there was no way in hell that air vents could make those growling sounds, but if I interrupted I probably wouldn't hear anything more about these stories that Cheen just mentioned.

"No, the stories are much better," argued Cheen, with a huge grin on her face. Milo chucked slightly giving the future mother of his child an amused look. Cheen ignored him and continued on. "They say that people go missing on the motorway. Some cars just vanish never to be seen again. Because there's something living down there, in the smoke, something huge and hungry. And if you get lost on the road… it's waiting for you."

The growling noise happened again, only this time it was louder. The three of us exchanged nervous glances. Cheen's words echoed inside my head giving me chills. Hmm… monsters or air vents with my luck it was probably the monsters.

Milo shifted in his seat. "But like I said. Air vents."

I suddenly realized something. If it really was the air vents then how come the air was filled with exhaust fumes. I snapped at Milo. "Don't be stupid! Look! Does it look like that there are even air vents out there?"

Cheen seemed to be on the verge of freaking out. "No," she said in a small voice.

The growling sounds kept happening. "So, what's making all the growling sounds?" I wondered out loud. Milo shook his head. "Nah, that's kid stuff." He held up the transmitter. "Car Four Six Five Diamond Six, on the descent."

I took a few deep breaths trying to calm myself, and for a moment I thought I saw my light blue eyes flash an emerald green in my reflection of the car window. When I stared into the window again, my eyes were back to their normal color.

What was I turning into? Or maybe I've never been normal at all.


	11. The Creatures Down Below

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Ali gets attacked by creatures that live in the smog.

After seeing my eyes change color, I was too freaked to say anything at all. And after a few minutes Cheen gave up trying to coax me into a conversation. So, for several minutes there was a heavy silence in the air, until the monitor in the car's dashboard clicked on with an image of a blonde woman. She smiled widely. "This is Sally Calypso, and it's that time again. The sun is blazing high in the sky over the New Atlantic, the perfect setting for the daily contemplation."

I raised an eyebrow at Sally's words. Hmm… weather forecasts in the future are really weird. The newswoman continued to speak. "This is for all you out there on the roads. We're so sorry. Drive safe." A soft and sad hymn began to play. Milo and Cheen started to sing along, their voices gradually rose in volume. I didn't know the words to this beautiful hymn, so I respectfully sat in silence. I was surprised when I felt wetness on my cheeks, because I'm not one to cry in public. After a few minutes the hymn ended and an electronic voice beeped out. "Fast lane access, please drive safely."

Milo roughly cleared his throat. "We made it. The fast lane," I rolled my eyes and muttered. "Finally," I was anxious to get out of this car in order to reunite with the Doctor and Martha. I needed to get the Doctor alone and get him to tell me what he figured out about me. And this time I wasn't going to let him run away from me. Cheen gave Milo a huge grin as the car descended into smoke deep below.

-0-

Once we made it into the fast lane, Milo tried to turn the car into the Brooklyn Junction, but the computer screen kept saying that all the exits were closed. Cheen now wore a panicked expression on her face. "Try it again." She told Milo. I had been lying down on a small cot in the back of the car, when the commotion up front caused me to sit up and to go figure out what's going on.

"What seems to be the problem, Milo?" I questioned. "I thought you said that everything would be smooth sailing once we're in the fast lane."

"It should be," replied Milo. "I don't know why it's not working." He added sounding upset. I heaved a big sigh. "Just stay calm and simply try again." Milo did what I suggested; he took a deep breath and pressed a button that read Exit 1.

"Brooklyn Turnoff Two closed."

Cheen let out an agitated groan. "What do we do?"

"We'll keep going around. We'll do the whole loop. By the time we come back, they'll be open," said Milo.

Oh, great this turning into a real pain in my ass. The strange growling sound pierces the air once more. Milo started to open his mouth.

"If you say it was the air vents one more time, I will punch you in the face," I snapped at Milo.

"What else could it be?"

The growling noise happened again.

"What the hell was that?" Cheen asked, sounding frightened. "It's just the hydraulics." Milo tried to explain. "But it sounds like it's coming from something alive." I disagreed.

"It's all exhaust fumes out there. Nothing could breathe in that," stated Milo trying to reassure us all.

"Nothing that you know of, anyway," I sniped. The three of us exchanged horrified looks. The electronic voice interrupted our thoughts of creatures living down below. "Calling Car Four Six Five Diamond Six. Repeat, calling Car Four Six Five Diamond Six." Milo picked up the transmitter and spoke into it. "This is Car Four Six Five Diamond Six. Who's that? Where are you?" A female voice came through the transmitter. "I'm in the fast lane, about fifty yards behind. Can you get back up?"

"We only have permission to go down. We need the Brooklyn Flyover," answered Milo.

"Don't you understand? They're always closed!"

Well, shit! We're all in trouble now. Beside me Cheen let out a frightened gasp, she looked like she was barely holding it together. I sat there feeling utterly helpless. I had no idea how to comfort this stranger who I was still pissed at. But I knew I should at least try to do something. I placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Um… don't worry I'm sure we'll figure something out." Cheen didn't acknowledge my lame attempt to help her. I guess this just proved that I'm terrible at helping people.

The voice came through the transmitter again, the woman sounded more distressed than it did a few seconds ago. "We're stuck down here. And there's something else, out there in the fog. Can't you hear it?"

"That's the air vents," stated Milo for the hundredth time. I groaned in frustration. "Will you stop saying that it's the air vents? It's not the air vents. Air vents do not sound like that!"

"Your friend is right! You should listen to her!"

"Yeah, not his friend. I was kidnapped," I interjected.

"But – has to be - ," stuttered Milo.

"What are you, some stupid kid? Get out of here!"

Through the transmitter we could hear more roaring and screaming. "What the hell is happening?" I asked sounding alarmed. The screaming escalated in volume. "I can't move! They've got us!"

"What is it? Just tell me, please!" I inquired desperately.

"Hello!? Can you hear me?" questioned Milo. The lady from the other car was able to get out one last message. "Just drive! Get out of here!" Then there was just static coming from the transmitter. "Hello?" Milo tried once more to communicate with her. I was suddenly filled with this ice cold fear. Milo was going to get us all killed if he didn't react to this. I guess it was all up to me, then. "Listen. There's nothing that we can do. They're dead! Now move!" I commanded.

Milo looked lost and hopeless. "But where?"

"Go forward and fast!" I snapped.

Milo did what I ordered and accelerated.

-0-

The car started to jolt and shake uncontrollably; I braced myself against the back of the driver's seat. It was starting to become a real challenge to stay calm. "Go faster!" screamed Cheen. "I'm at top speed!" exclaimed Milo. I noticed that the screen began to flash a proximity warning. "No access above," beeped the electronic voice.

"But this is an emergency!" replied Milo into the transmitter.

"Thank you for your call. You have been placed on hold."

So, basically the electronic voice just told us to fuck off. I groaned. We're so screwed, and I couldn't think of a way to get us out of this predicament. The car continued to shake violently reminding me that the clock was ticking. C'mon, Ali! Think! You have to do something. You can't depend on the Doctor to swoop in at the last minute to save you. I desperately searched for an idea, but I wasn't even from this time period. I don't know anything about the technology here. So, I couldn't send a distress signal to the Doctor by using the monitor somehow. I didn't even have my cell phone with me - it probably wouldn't even work here – it was in my hotel room back in St. Louis, at this rate I'll never return there because I'll die in this stupid car. No! Shut up! I can do this. I can figure this out, just think. Suddenly, an idea popped into my head.

"Milo, turn everything off."

The man shot me an incredulous look. "You've got to be joking."

"Shut up!" I snapped. God, I could just feel my patience wearing thin. "How could anything see through that fog? They can probably hear the engines, so turn everything off. They might not be able to find us."

"What if you're wrong?"

"We have to risk it! If we don't do anything, we're dead anyway," I countered. My words must have been enough to convince Milo, because he immediately started to flip switches and the car powered down. The monsters stopped trying to devour us, the car stopped shaking.

"They've stopped," blurted Cheen in sheer amazement.

"Yeah, but they're still out there," said Milo.

Cheen gave me a puzzled look. "How did you think of that?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "It just sort of clicked in my head," I frowned slightly. "I don't have a clue about what we should do next."

Milo sighed. "Well, you better think of something, because we've lost the aircon. If we don't switch the engines back on, we won't be able to breathe."

Oh shit! I didn't even think of that!

"How much time do we have left?" I questioned, trying to keep my tone from sounding depressed.

"Eight minutes, maximum."

Gee, no pressure. Thanks a lot Milo, I thought sarcastically.

-0-

For six minutes the three of us sat in dreaded silence. Sadly, my mind was completely blank and I can't believe that I'm going to admit this to myself, but I hope that the Doctor will find a way to get me out of this mess. I hated being the damsel in distress, but I can admit it when I need help.

"How much air's left?" Cheen asked weakly.

"Two minutes,"

Um… Doctor? Anytime that you want to swoop in would be great. I really don't want to die on an alien planet. Actually, I don't want to die period. I sighed. "There's the man that I was with earlier. He might think of something."

Cheen gave me a small smile. "He looked kind of nice."

I gave her a smile of my own. "Yeah, I suppose he is."

"Are you and him…?"

I snorted. "No. He's in love with this other girl named Rose."

"I never even asked. Where's home?"

Crap. I can't tell her the truth. I guess I'll have to very vague. "Oh. I'm from somewhere far away. I just decided to follow the Doctor and Martha. My parents have been dead for years, it's just me now," I said, sadly.

"So, um, who is he, then? This Doctor?" asked Milo.

I shook my head. "I don't know. I've only known him for a few days." I frowned. "I'm pretty sure he's been lying to me." Cheen gasped. "But that means that… the only hope right now is a complete stranger." She shot Milo a horrifying look. "Well, that's no use!"

I disagreed with her. "I may have my own issues to sort out with the Doctor, but I know that he's our best chance to get out of this mess."

Milo heaved a big sigh. "Right, our two minutes are up." He flipped some switches on the dashboard.

"Systems back online."

"Good luck," said Milo.

I nodded. "You too," I responded right before the monsters started to attack the car again.


	12. The Face of Boe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Ali reunites with the Doctor and Martha.

I bit my lip struggling to keep myself from screaming, as the unknown assailants pounded against the metal sides of the car. I dug my fingernails into the sides of the driver's seat to keep myself from being violently flung into one of the metal walls. For some reason I took a quick glance at my hands, to my horror I noticed that my fingernails had lengthened to razor-sharp claws. My eyes couldn't believe what I was seeing; I blinked and looked at my hands again. My hands were back normal with no evidence of anything being weird in the first place. I quickly took a look at Milo and Cheen to see if they had seen my… claws. No, they couldn't have. They were too busy screaming for their lives. I was probably just seeing things. I told myself, even though a traitorous part of my brain knew that I was lying to myself. Just when I thought that I was wrong to put my faith in the Doctor. That he wasn't coming at all, and I was going to die so far away from my home among strangers. The screen suddenly clicked on the dashboard, revealing the face of the Doctor.

"Oy! Car Four Six Five Diamond Six! Ali! Drive up!"

I laughed, feeling relieved. "That's him! That's the Doctor!" I told Milo and Cheen.

"We can't go up! We'll hit the layer!" protested Milo.

"Just do it!" I ordered.

"You've got access above! Now go!" shouted the Doctor.

-0-

Once the Doctor sent the flight path to the computer, Milo dropped me off in front of the Senate building. Feeling ecstatic that I was alive and out of the cramped car, I sauntered inside. I was immediately met with a sight of a skeleton lying on the floor. My happy mood diminished upon being confronted with death.

"Doctor?" I called out, my eyes never leaving the skeleton. I was met with silence. "Martha!" I tried again. This time I was met with the sound of approaching footsteps, I looked up in time to see the figure of Martha Jones. My new friend didn't seem happy to see me; she had a small frown etched into her face. "Ali, the Doctor is this way," she gestured behind her. "There's someone that he wants you to meet," said Martha, before turning and running back in the direction she came from. I stood there for a moment feeling puzzled before following after her. I found the Doctor and Martha in another room along with a cat woman wearing a nurse uniform. They were all kneeling in front of a giant face lying in the remains of a glass jar.

"What's going on?"

"It's the Face of Boe. It's all right. Come and say hello," the Doctor replied. He nodded in the direction of the cat woman. "And this is Novice Hame. She's a cat. Don't worry."

I rolled my eyes discreetly at that remark. What gave her away, Doctor? Was it the fur? I slowly approached the Face of Boe and knelt right next to the Doctor.

"He's the one that saved you, not me," stated the Doctor.

"Thank you," I murmured.

"You're very welcome, Sphinx. It's good to see you again, old friend."

I sprung to my feet in surprise. How did the Face of Boe know me? I think I would remember meeting a giant pink face. I took a quick glance at the Doctor to see that he had an intrigued expression on his face. "Why did you call her that?" questioned the Doctor.

The Face of Boe chuckled. "The entire universe knows her by that name, Doctor."

Startled by that revelation my mind flashed back to the events that happened a short time ago. My eyes turned green before reverting back to their usual light blue, and my fingernails lengthened into claws. Am I some kind creature from Greek mythology.

"My lord gave his life to save the city, and now he's dying," said Novice Hame cutting in.

"No, don't say that. Not old Boe. Plenty of life left," the Doctor disagreed. Though, it sounded like he was lying to himself. The Face of Boe gasped. "It's good to breathe the air once more."

"Who is he?" asked Martha, speaking up. "I don't even know," the Doctor admitted. I shot him a teasing grin. "That's shocking." He winked in reply. "Anyway, legend says the Face of Boe has lived for billions of years." He turned back to look at the Face of Boe. "Isn't that right? And you're not about to give up now."

"Everything has its time. You know that, old friend, better than most."

"The legend says more," interjected Novice Hame. "Don't. There's no need for that," said the Doctor, his voice sounding irritated. Novice Hame ignored him and continued to speak to us. "It says that the Face of Boe will speak his final to a traveler with a lioness at his side." I could practically hear my heartbeat increasing as I heard her words because I just knew that Novice Hame was talking about the Doctor and I. The Time Lord frowned when he noticed my now stiffened posture. "Yeah, but not yet. Who needs secrets, eh?" The Doctor's attention was back on the Face of Boe.

"I have seen so much. Perhaps too much. I am the last of my kind - as you are the last of yours, Doctor." The Face of Boe whispered, weakly. The Doctor's face looked sad and desperate. "That's why we have to survive. The both of us. Don't go."

My eyes widened in surprise as I realized why the Doctor was acting so weird earlier in the TARDIS. He didn't want to take Martha and me to see the planet of the Time Lords, because there wasn't any Time Lords left. Poor Doctor.

"I must. But know this, Time Lord. You are not alone," said The Face of Boe, cryptically, before he closed his eyes for the last time.

Huh? The Face of Boe mentioned a minute earlier, that he and the Doctor were respectively the last of their kind. And now he's saying that the Doctor is not alone. Geez, confusing much? The Doctor stared at the now dead Face of Boe with astonishment. It's clear to me that the Doctor didn't really comprehend The Face of Boe's final words either.

-0-

An hour later we were passing through the alley where I had been kidnapped. There were no more vendors in sight; all the shops were closed down.

"All closed down," said the Doctor.

"Happy?" questioned Martha.

The Doctor nodded. "Happy happy." He suddenly spun around and wagged his pointer finger at me. "And you young lady! You should know better than to wander off. So, don't let it happen again."

"I didn't wander off," I cried out in outrage. "I was kidnapped!"

Martha chuckled softly in response to our exchange. "But what did he mean, The Face of Boe?" The Doctor's playful expression disappeared; it was replaced with a decent poker face. "I don't know." Martha took a step toward him, a smile on her face. "You've got me and Ali. Is that what he meant?" The Doctor shook his head, his mouth twitching. "I don't think so. Sorry."

"Then what?"

The Doctor brushed her off. "Doesn't matter. Back to the TARDIS, off we go." He began to saunter back to the TARDIS.

When his back was turned, Martha pointed to me, and then to a fallen chair. She had already found her own chair and was sitting in it. Since I was curious to find out what she was up to, I did what she asked of me. I hurried to fetch the chair and placed it next to hers. "What are you up to you," I whispered to Martha.

"You'll see," she whispered back.

The Doctor whirled back around when he didn't he hear us following him. "Are you both staying, then?" He sounded flippant. Martha folded her arms across her chest. "Until you talk to us properly, yes. He said 'last of your kind.' What does that mean?"

My eyes widened. Oh crap. Martha hasn't connected the dots yet. This might not end well. I didn't want Martha to cause the Doctor any unnecessary pain.

"Martha…" I warned her lightly. "No, Ali!" She protested angrily. "We have the right to know!" I simply glared at her response.

"It really doesn't matter," the Doctor replied. "You don't talk. You never say! Why not?" demanded Martha. Before I could tell Martha to leave the Doctor alone, the sound of music filled the air around us. "It's the city," I murmured in awe.

"They're singing," remarked Martha, with not a trace of anger left in it. The Doctor stared at Martha and me, his beautiful brown eyes filled with unshed tears. "I lied to you both because I liked it. I could pretend. Just for a bit. I could imagine they were still alive, underneath a burnt orange sky."

So, I was right. I thought glumly. The Doctor pulled up another nearby chair and sat in it. "I'm not just a Time Lord. I'm the last of the Time Lords. The Face of Boe was wrong. There's no one else."

"What happened?" I asked softly.

He sighed. "There was a war. A Time War. My people fought a race called the Daleks, for the sake of all creation. And they lost. Everyone lost. They're all gone now. My family, my friends, even that sky. Oh, you should have seen it, that old planet. The second sun would rise in the south, and the mountains would shine. The leaves on the trees were silver and, when they caught light every morning, it looked like a forest on fire. When the autumn came, the breeze would blow through the branches like a song…"

I listened to the Doctor talk about his lost planet, with tears in my eyes.

-0-

The Doctor and I were back in the control room. Martha was off exploring other parts of the TARDIS.

I cleared my throat. "What were those creatures in the under-city?" I asked the Doctor, who was sitting in the pilot's chair. He leaned back in his chair and kicked his feet up on the console. "Ah… they're called Macra. They're giant crab-like creatures, the Macra were once the scourge of the galaxy. They fed off the gas, the filthier the better. They built up a small empire using humans as slaves and mining gas for food."

"So, that's why they were able to survive down there, they practically live off the stuff," I added in realization.

The Doctor beamed at me. "Yup." He said while popping the 'p'. "But that was billions of years ago. They must have devolved into mindless beasts."

I was quiet for a moment. Now, would be the time to tell him. I should tell him that I sprouted claws earlier and that my eyes changed color. The Doctor noticed my silence, he swiftly stood up. "Ali, are you alright," he asked, sounding concerned.

I didn't want to lie to the Doctor, but I'm not ready to tell him either. I was still processing what had happened to me. "I'll tell you about it later," I told him. The Doctor opened his mouth to say something, but the sound of Martha's footsteps prevented him from doing so. He gave a look that told me that this conversation was going to be continued later. When Martha finally entered the control room, the Doctor took a step away from me. "I was thinking that we should take a trip to Old New York," he said brightly.

I scrunched my nose up in confusion. "Old New York?"

"Well…" drawled the Doctor. "I was talking about the Original New York."

"Really!" Martha exclaimed in surprise.

"I've been feeling a little homesick lately," I admitted.

"You're from New York?" inquired the Doctor.

"No. I was talking about America in general."

The Doctor nodded and gave me a grin. "Brillant! Let's go to Old New York, then." He flipped a few switches on the console, and just like that we were off.


	13. Mystery in Hooverville

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Ali, the Doctor, Martha discover that people have been going missing in Hooverville.

The TARDIS landed with a thud. When I stepped outside I noticed that we were parked in front of a white stone wall. I stared at a beautiful blue sky, and I grinned when I caught the scent of a fresh breeze. It was wonderful to be in America, again. Next, to me, the Doctor sighed happily. "Ah, smell that Atlantic breeze. Nice and cold. Lovely. Ali and Martha, have the two of you met my friend?" We looked up to see the Statue of Liberty towering above us.

Martha beamed at the sight. "Is that -? Oh, my God! That's the Statue of Liberty!

I laughed. "I know, I've always wanted to see the Statue of Liberty, and now I'm here!" The Doctor grinned widely at my eagerness. "Gateway to the New World! 'Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to break free'…"

"That's so brilliant. I've always wanted to go to New York. I mean the real New York, not the New, New, New York," gushed Martha, as we casually strolled to the edge of the island to get a better view of the Manhattan skyline. "Well, there's the genuine article. So, good they named it twice. Mind you, it was New Amsterdam originally. Harder to say twice. No wonder it didn't catch on," rambled the Doctor with a slight grimace. I snickered at the expression on his face.

"I wonder what year it is because look, the Empire State Building's not finished yet," said Martha. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Martha picking up a newspaper that had been left on the ground; the Doctor didn't seem to notice this. "Work in progress. Still got a couple floors to go, and if I know my history, that makes the date somewhere around –"

"November 1, 1930," declared Martha reading from the newspaper. "You're getting good at this," commented the Doctor in surprise at Martha's correct guess. I rolled my eyes and tugged the Doctor's elbow. "Doctor. Martha found a newspaper, she's reading the date." Embarrassed, the Doctor ran his hand through his hair making it messier than what it already was. "Oh, right. Of course, she did." I laughed quietly as he went over to Martha, and took the paper from her.

"Eighty years ago! It's funny cause you see all those old newsreels in black and white like it's so far away, but here we are. It's real. It's now," exclaimed Martha. I nodded in agreement. "I know exactly what you mean. A part of me believes that I'm in a dream." The Doctor interrupted our conversation, showing us the paper's headline. "I think our detour just got longer." I read the headline. "'Hooverville Mystery Deepens'"

-0-

After reading the article, we hastily made our way toward Hooverville by going through Central Park. "What's Hooverville?" asked Martha. "Oh! I know this!" I blurted out excitedly. "Herbert Hoover was the 31st President of the United States. He came to power in 1929."

"The Wall Street Crash, yeah?" guessed Martha. "Yeah," I agreed. "The economy was destroyed; thousands of people were unemployed. So, they moved to Central Park." It was at this precise moment where I noticed that the Doctor was giving me an incredulous look. "That was brilliant!" he announced while beaming down at me. I blushed. "Thanks. History was my favorite class in school." The Doctor loudly cleared his throat. "Anyway, ordinary people lost their jobs. Couldn't pay the rent and they lost everything. There are places like this all over America. You only come to Hooverville when there's nowhere else to go."

When we finally entered the town, I noticed that Hooverville was basically made up a collection of shacks and tents. As we were studying the scenery, we heard a fight breaking out between two male citizens.

"You're a thieving lowlife!" screamed one guy as he punched the other man in the face. "I didn't touch it!" the other guy screamed back. An older black man stepped out of his tent and got between the two men. "Cut that out!"

"He stole my bread!" shouted the first guy. The black man turned to the suspected thief. "Did you take it?" Guy Number Two refused to meet his gaze. "I don't know what happened. He just went crazy." Guy Number One lunged for Guy Number Two, but he was held back by the black guy. "That's enough! Now think really carefully before lie to me."

"I'm starving, Solomon," admitted the thief. Solomon held out his hand to the thief. He reached underneath his coat, pulled out a single loaf of bread, and handed it to Solomon. I stood up on my tip-toes and whispered into the Doctor's ear. "Doctor, I think that's the man in charge." He nodded in reply. Solomon broke the loaf of bread in half and gave the guys each a piece of bread. "We're all starving. We all got families somewhere. No stealing and no fighting. You know the rules. Thirteen years ago, I fought in the Great War. A lot of us did. And the only reason that we got through it was because we stuck together! No matter how bad things get, we still act like human beings. It's all we got."

The crowd of people that had gathered to watch the fight went their separate ways. The Doctor bent his head down so he could whisper in my ear. "Come on," He sauntered over to greet Solomon. "I suppose that makes you the boss around here." Solomon gave the Doctor an unsure look. "And, uh, who might you be?"

"He's the Doctor, that's Ali. I'm Martha," introduced Martha. Solomon scoffed at her words. "A doctor. Well, we got, uh, stockbrokers, we got a lawyer, but you're the first doctor. The neighborhood gets classier by the day."

"How many people live here?" I asked him. "At any one time, hundreds. No place else to go. But I will say this about Hooverville. We are a truly equal society, black, white, all the same. All starving," Solomon laughed. "So, you're welcome. All of you. But tell me, Doctor, you're a man of learning, right? Explain this to me." He pointed to the Empire State building. "That's going to be the tallest building in the world. How come they can do that, and we got people starving in the heart of Manhattan?"

Well, Solomon, it's called the Great Depression for a reason.

-0-

Solomon threw some coffee dregs onto the fire. The Doctor showed the man the newspaper article. "So… men are going missing. Is this true?" Solomon took the newspaper and headed into his tent. "It's true all right." The Doctor lifted the opening of the tent, and the three of us lurked in the entrance. "But what does missing even mean? Men must come and go here all the time. It's not like anyone's keeping a register?" questioned the Doctor. Solomon sat down in an old wooden chair. "Come in." We did what he asked, and then we found some places to sit. "This is different," said Solomon. Martha frowned slightly. "In what way?"

"Someone takes them," revealed Solomon. "At night. We hear something. Someone calls out for help. By the time we get there, they're gone. Like they vanish into thin air."

"So, you're positive that someone's taking them?" I asked him.

"Ali, when you got next to nothing, you hold on to the little you got. Your knife, blanket, you take it with you. You don't leave bread uneaten, fire still burning."

I nodded my head. "Yeah, I guess you have a point."

"Have you been to the police?" inquired Martha. Solomon rolled his eyes. "Yeah, we tried that. Another deadbeat goes missing, big deal." The Doctor spoke up. "So, the question is, who's taking them and what for?" Before anyone could reply, a guy around my age stuck his head inside the tent. "Solomon, Mr. Diagoras is here." I eyed him with interest. He was cute. Solomon exited the tent with the rest of us following right behind him. There was another newcomer in Hooverville. The men were all gathered around this new arrival who appeared to be in mid-thirties wearing a black pinstriped suit. "I need men. Volunteers. I got a little work for you and you sure look like you use the money." The man sounded like he had an Italian accent.

"Yeah. What is the money?" asked the Cute Guy who sounded skeptical.

"A dollar a day."

"What's the work?" demanded Solomon.

"A trip down the sewers. Got a tunnel that collapsed needs fixing. Any takers?"

Solomon scoffed. "A dollar a day? That's a slave's wage. Men don't always come back up do they?" Diagoras shrugged. "Accidents happen." The Doctor spoke up. "What do you mean? What sort of accidents?"

"You don't need the work? That's fine. Anybody else?" replied Diagoras. The Doctor raised his hand. "Enough with the questions!" snapped Diagoras.

"Oh, no. I'm volunteering," stated the Doctor. Martha and I followed the Doctor's example and raised our hands, as did Solomon and Cute Guy.

"I'll kill you for this," Martha told the Doctor. He simply smirked in response.

"We're about to head into some creepy sewer tunnels. What could go wrong?" I quipped.

-0-

So, Diagoras took our group down into the sewers. He pointed down the tunnel. "Turn left. Go about half a mile. Follow Tunnel 273. Fall's right ahead of you. You can't miss it."

"And when do we get our dollar?" asked Frank. (I discovered Cute Guy's name.)

"When you come back up."

"And if we don't come back up?" questioned the Doctor.

"Then I got no one to pay."

"We'll be back," declared Solomon. "Let's hope so," muttered Martha.

"We just gotta stick together. It's easy to get lost. It's like a huge rabbit warren. You could hide an army down here," announced Frank. Hmm… now would be a good time to talk up the cute guy. "You don't sound like a New Yorker, Frank. Where are you from?" Frank laughed. "Oh, I'm from Tennessee, born and bred. What about you?"

"I'm from Salem, Massachusetts. Why'd you come here?"

"Uh, my daddy died. Mama… couldn't afford to feed us all. So, I'm the oldest, up to me to feed myself, so I put on my coat, hitched up here on the railroads. There's a whole lot of runaways in camp younger than me. From all over, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas… Solomon keeps a lookout for us. So, what about you? Why did you leave Salem?" inquired Frank.

Shit! What the hell am I supposed to say? Well, you see Frank. One minute I'm in St. Louis on vacation, the next I'm in a hospital on the moon. Oh, by the way, I've got claws now. "I had a slight accident and I ended up in a hospital where I met the Doctor and Martha," I told him. It wasn't exactly a lie, but it wasn't the truth either. Frank placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. "You stick with me, you'll be alright." I blushed and murmured a quick thank you. Before I could say anything else to Frank, the Doctor spoke up in a loud voice. "So, this Diagoras bloke, who is he then?" He asked Solomon.

"A couple of months ago, he was just another foreman. Now it seems like he's running most of Manhattan."

"How did he manage that, then?" the Doctor wondered.

"These are strange times. A man can go from being King of the Hill to the lowest of the low overnight. It's just for some folks it works the other way around," remarked Solomon.

I scrunched my nose as I caught a scent that was different from the smell of vile sewer water. The scent was coming from a strange green blob that was lying in the water a short distance ahead of us.

"Whoa!" exclaimed the Doctor when he spotted the green blobby thing. He dropped his flashlight and crouched down by the blob. Martha took a step closer. "Is it radioactive or something?" I tried to cover my nose with my hand to block the terrible scent. "Doctor, whatever you do. Don't pick that thing up, it might be toxic…"

The Doctor ignored me and picked up the blob. "And you picked it up anyway," I muttered. The Doctor continued to ignore me while he asked Martha to shine her light on the blob. I rolled my eyes, and silently mouthed the word rude.

"I saw that," he stated cheekily. The Doctor met Martha's gaze. "Composite organic matter. Martha? Medical opinion?"

"It's not human. I know that" answered Martha. Frank pulled me off to the side. "Ali, your friends are awfully strange," he whispered. "Oh, you have no idea," I whispered back.

The Doctor agreed with Martha's statement. "No. It's not. And I'll tell you something else. We must be at least half a mile in and I don't see any sign of a collapse, do you? So why did Mr. Diagoras send us down here?" questioned the Doctor, his voice filled with suspicion.

"So, where are we now?" asked Martha. The Doctor stared up at the ceiling. "Well… we're right underneath Manhattan."

Wow. The businessman turned out to be shady. What a surprise. I thought sarcastically.


	14. You Put the Devil in Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Ali and the gang go down into the sewers and they get attacked by mutant Pig Men.

All the members in our little group exchanged worried looks. "We're way beyond half a mile. There's no collapse, nothing," said Solomon. "That Diagoras bloke, was he lying?" questioned Martha.

"Well, isn't that just fantastic," I muttered sarcastically. What was this Diagoras guy up to?

"Looks like it," remarked the Doctor.

"So why did he want people to come down here," asked Frank. The Doctor's expression became unreadable, he spun to face Solomon. "Solomon, I think it's time you took these three back," asked the Doctor, talking about Frank, Martha, and myself. "I'll be much quicker on my own." He finished.

"I'm not going anywhere," I declared through gritted teeth. The Doctor's eyes flashed with frustration. "Ali, it's too dangerous for you to be down here." I glared and crossed my arms. "I can handle it," I insisted. Before the Doctor could say another word, squealing sounds echoed through the tunnels.

"What the hell was that?" exclaimed Solomon. Frank peered down the dark tunnel. "Hello?!" Feeling scared for Frank I moved to pull him back. "Frank, don't!" He turned toward me. "What if it's one of the folks gone missing? You'd be scared, half-mad down here on your own"

Oh, my God! He's too sweet for this world. He's probably taken or gay. That's usually what happens to all the decent men.

"Do you think they're still alive?" asked the Doctor. Frank nodded. "Heck, we ain't seen no bodies down here. Maybe they just got lost." We heard more squealing. "I know I never heard nobody make a sound like that," stated Solomon, his voice filled with fear. The Doctor moved a few steps ahead. "This way."

Solomon shined his light down another tunnel. "No, that way." His light revealed a figure huddled on the ground. "Doctor…" called out Martha quietly. The Doctor promptly rejoined the group.

"Are you lost? Can you understand me? I've been thinking about folk being lost…" Frank trailed off when the Doctor held out his hand to stop him. "It's all right, Frank. Just stay back. Let me have a look." He slowly approached the figure. "He's got a point, though, my mate Frank. I'd hate to be stuck down here on my own." The creature squealed. "We know the way out. Daylight. If you want to come with us." The Doctor squatted down by the creature and shined a light on it to reveal that it had the face of a pig. The Doctor's eyes lit up with interest. "Oh, but what are you."

Subtly, I sniffed the air. Somehow, I could tell by his scent that he was human once, but not anymore, I pitied the creature.

It seemed that Solomon was visibly struggling with the existence of this creature. "Is, uh, that some kind of carnival mask?"

"No, it's real," replied the Doctor. He returned his attention to the Pig Man. "I'm sorry. Now, listen to me. I promise I can help. Now, who did this to you?"

I noticed more Pig Men slowly advancing toward the Time Lord. "Doctor, I think you should leave him alone." The Doctor gave no indication that he heard me.

"Doctor!" shouted Martha. The Doctor finally noticed the danger that was approaching him. He stood up and started to back away. "Actually… that's a good point." The Pig Men continued to follow him. "They're following you," said Martha, stating the obvious.

"Yeah, I noticed that," drawled the Doctor. "Well then, Ali, Martha, Frank, and Solomon…"

"What?" asked Martha, fearfully.

"Um, basically… run!"

We all broke into a run, racing toward the end of the tunnel. I could tell from the angry squealing from the Pig Men, that they were not far behind us. We stopped running when we reached the mouth of a joining tunnel. "We should be running, not stopping!" I exclaimed.

"There's a ladder!" The Doctor cried out in relief. He hurriedly climbed the ladder and used his sonic screwdriver to open the lid. While the others were climbing the ladder, I spotted a metal rod. I could use that rod to buy the others more time. I thought, as I rushed to the rod, and picked it up. I held the rod like you would hold a baseball bat, and then I started to swing it at the Pig Men, trying to fend them off.

"Ali!" shouted the Doctor from above. I chucked the rod at the horde, sprinted for the ladder, and began to climb it. The Doctor stretched out his hand for me to grab, his eyes were full desperation. "C'mon, Ali! C'mon! I've got ya." Our fingertips barely touched when I was suddenly yanked from the Doctor into the arms of the Pig Men. "No!" screamed the Time Lord, terrified. I saw Solomon pushing the Doctor aside, closing the lid.

Oh, hell no! I was not going to be taken again! These assholes have done it now! I could feel all the rage rising in my body as I let out a fearsome roar. I didn't need to see my reflection to know that my eyes were glowing green. I snapped my head backward, hitting the Pig Man that was holding me in the face. He stumbled giving me chance to break free from his grasp. I avoided a punch from one Pig Man by ducking down. Since I was still in a crouching position, I swept my leg out knocking a Pig Man off balance. I popped up in time to see another Pig Man come at me, I quickly stepped aside and used the momentum to grab him and slam his head against the wall.

Damn! Who knew that finding out that you're an alien could turn you into a badass! I continued to duck and throw punches until I realized that therewas too many Pig Men for me to fight. So, I did a cool ninja roll underneath a Pig Man's outstretched arms and took off sprinting down another tunnel. I could hear them right behind me, so I pushed myself to go faster. Up ahead I saw another tunnel entrance. I quickly ducked into it and pressed myself against the wall. The group of Pig Men ran past me, I fought the urge to laugh at the absurdity of this entire situation. I look at my hands to see that I was sprouting black claws once more. My urge to laugh faded away. Am I a monster? I thought, feeling horrified because I enjoyed fighting those Pig Men way more than I should.

-0-

I had been wandering around in the sewers trying to find a way out so I could get back to the Doctor. I was going to show him my claws, this time I wasn't going to chicken out. This time I'm going to get some answers.

"The chromatin solution is ready."

I halted. What the hell was that? Who said that? There was no one in sight. I leaned against the wall and concentrated.

"Then our preparations are complete," another voice responded.

Hmm… the voices sounded inhuman, but they weren't Pig Men. Maybe I was hearing the creatures that invented the Pig Men.

"What are you doing? Preparations for what?" questioned Diagoras. Bastard! I freaking knew that guy was shady.

"This is the Final Experiment." Shit! That doesn't sound good.

"Whaddya mean? Do you mean like these Pig Men things? You're not going to turn me into one of those! Oh, God, please don't!" pleaded Diagoras. What were they doing to him?

"The Pig Slaves are primitive. The Final Experiment is greater by far."

"But how does that involve me?" asked Diagoras.

"We need your flesh. Bring him to me!"

"Halt! This action contradicts the Dalek Imperative."

"Daleks are supreme. Humans are weak."

"But there are millions of humans and only four of us. If we are supreme, why are we not victorious? The Cult of Skaro was created by the Emperor for this very purpose. To imagine new ways of survival."

"But we must remain pure."

"No, Dalek Thay! Our purity has brought us to extinction! We must adapt to survive. You have all made sacrifices… and now I will sacrifice myself for the greater cause, the future of Dalek – Kind. Now bring me the human!"

I could hear struggling. "I don't understand. What do you mean? Get off me!"

"Behold the true Dalek form."

"No! Get off me! I did everything you asked of me! No!" screamed Diagoras.

My stomach churned with fear as I remembered the name of the alien species that the Time Lords went to war with. They were called the Daleks. Shit! I'm in way over my head. I need the Doctor's help. I took a few deep calming breaths, and then I felt my claws receding back into normal fingernails.

I turned a corner, and I immediately crashed into the Doctor. He stared at me in shock for a moment before his mouth curved into a huge grin. "Ali! You're alive! Oh, my brave and brilliant girl!" He said as he pulled me into a hug. "How did you get away?"

I took a shallow breath. This is it. I'm going to show him. I closed my eyes, and when I opened them again I made sure that they were glowing green.

The Doctor stared at me in awe. "Oh, you're a Panthera." He gasped.

Before I had a chance to question him further, a blonde woman spoke up behind him. "Hey, Mister, who's she? And who are you anyway? I never asked."

I blinked in confusion at the appearance of the blonde woman standing next to the Doctor. "Shh, Tallulah," snapped the Time Lord.

Tallulah ignored him. "When you say, 'They've taken her', who's they exactly?"

I finally noticed that Martha was nowhere to be seen. "Doctor, what happened to Martha?" I demanded. The Doctor opened his mouth, and then he quickly closed it again before pulling Tallulah and me into a small alcove. "Hey!" I protested. "What do you think – "the Doctor placed his hand over my mouth.

The sight of a strange metal creature passing by, prevented me from struggling. "No, no, no." I heard the Doctor mutter, his words laced with pain. "They survived. They always survive while I lose everything."

Crap. I didn't even get the chance to tell them the bad news.

"That metal thing? What was it?" asked Tallulah.

"It's called a Dalek. And it's not just metal, it's alive," answered the Doctor. He turned and glared at her. "Does it look like I'm kidding? Inside that shell is a creature born to hate, whose only thought is to destroy everything and everyone that isn't a Dalek too. It won't stop until it's killed every human being alive." The Doctor's voice was thick with anger and sorrow.

Oh, my poor Doctor.

Tallulah had a nervous expression on her face. "But if it's not a human being, that kinda implies it's from outer space."

The Doctor just stared at her. "Yet again, that's a 'no' with the kidding. Boy… well, what's it doing here, in New York?"

The Doctor suddenly knelt in front of me, so that he could be closer to my eye level, I guess.

"Ali, listen to me. As a Panthera – "

"Doctor – "I tried to interject.

"You have heightened senses. You can use them to find the Daleks. Please, I need to find out what they're up to." He begged.

I huffed. "Doctor, I was trying to tell you that I heard something a few minutes ago."

"What is it? Tell me!" demanded the Doctor.

"I overheard them talking about some Final Experiment," I told him.

"What sort of experiment?" The Doctor pressed.

"I don't know," I admitted.

The Doctor did something completely unexpected; He slammed me against the wall. Outraged I pushed him off me, and yelled back. "What the hell is wrong with you!"

His eyes were filled with guilt and un-shed tears. "I'm sorry." He muttered.

Off to the side, I heard Tallulah murmur. "Yeesh, crazy guy!" Tallulah's words took the Doctor's attention away from me, He went over to her and pulled her arm. "Every second you're down here, you're in danger. I'm taking you back right now."

At that moment, my nose caught the scent of a Pig Man. I could sense that he was close by. I walked forward a few steps and peered around the corner to see another Pig Man. "Doctor. Tallulah. I think you should come to see this." I called over. They did what I requested, and Tallulah screamed at the sight of the figure.

The Doctor stormed over to the Pig Man. "Where's Martha and Frank? What have done with them?"

"I didn't take them." The Pig Man said, sounding very human.

The Doctor looked surprised. "Can you remember your name?"

"Don't look at me." The Pig Man replied gruffly.

Tallulah moved forward. "Do you know where they are?" She questioned softly. The Pig Man continued to cower, shielding his face from Tallulah. "Stay back! Don't look at me!"

I frowned slightly, there was something different about this Pig Man's scent. He smelled more human than the others. I stalked past Tallulah, I needed to get a closer look at this Pig Man. "What happened to you?" I asked.

"They made me a monster." He replied in a broken voice.

I took a step backward, I think I have just found a kindred soul in this Pig Man. Didn't I just have a similar thought an hour ago?

"Who did?" questioned the Doctor.

"The masters."

"The Daleks. Why?"

"They needed slaves. They needed slaves to steal more people so they created us. Part animal, part human. I escaped before they got my mind, but it was still too late."

"Do you know what happened to Martha and Frank?"

"They took them. It's my fault. They were following me."

"Were you in the theatre?" Tallulah spoke up suddenly.

"Yes." The Pig Man replied.

"Why? Why were you there?"

"I never wanted you to see me like this."

"Why me? What do I gotta do with this? Were you following me? Is that why you were there?" pleaded Tallulah. The Pig Man turned to face her. "Yes."

"Who are you?" asked Tallulah.

"I was lonely."

"I needed to see you," admitted the Pig Man.

"Who are you?" repeated Tallulah. "I'm sorry," apologized the Pig Man while turning away. Tallulah hastily grabbed his arm. "No, wait. Let me look at you." She gently moved the Pig Man where she can see him better. "Lazlo?" She asked hesitantly. The Pig Man nodded. Tallulah's voice broke, cheeks stained with tears. "Oh, what have they done to you?"

"I'm sorry. So sorry," murmured Lazlo.

"Lazlo, can you show me where they are?" inquired the Doctor softly.

"They'll kill you," said Lazlo.

"If I don't stop them, they'll kill everyone," stated the Doctor.

Lazlo sighed. "Then follow me."

-0-

Lazlo led us through the tunnels, after a few minutes he eventually brought us to a tunnel where the Pig Men were keeping Martha and Frank along with some other prisoners. We stayed hidden at the end of an adjacent tunnel.

We watched a Dalek roll into view. "Silence. Silence." It said.

"What the hell is that?" I heard Martha exclaim.

"You will form a line. Move," ordered the Dalek. The Pig Man forced everyone into a line.

"Just do what it says, everyone, okay? Just obey," Martha said.

"The female is wise. Obey!" commanded the Dalek.

We continued to watch as the Dalek began to scan the prisoners with what looked to be a rubber sucker.

"They're divided into two groups: high intelligence and low intelligence. The low intelligence are taken to become Pig slaves like me." Lazlo informed us.

"Well, that's not fair, protested Tallulah.

"Shh," hushed the Doctor.

Tallulah whispered to Lazlo. "You're the smartest guy I ever dated."

"What happened to the other prisoners, Lazlo?" I asked him.

"They're taken to the laboratory."

"But why? What for?" questioned the Doctor.

"I don't know. The masters only call it the Final… Experiment."

The Dalek had finally reached Frank; it scanned him. "Superior Intelligence." It turned to Martha. "Intelligence scan. Initiate. This one will become part of the Final Experiment."

"You can't just experiment on people! It's insane! It's inhuman!" yelled Martha.

The Dalek responded. "We are not human. Prisoners of high intelligence will be taken to the transgenic laboratory."

The Dalek started to glide right past where we were hiding. "Look out, they're moving!" warned the Doctor.

The Doctor and I flattened ourselves against the wall. Lazlo, however, grabbed Tallulah's hand and started to lead her out of the tunnel. "Doctor! Quickly!" exclaimed Lazlo. Feeling anxious, I grabbed the Doctor's hand; he squeezed it in return. "I'm not going. I've got an idea. You go." He said. The Doctor swiftly tugged me behind him as he sneakily joined the group of prisoners. To my left I spotted Lazlo, it seemed to me that he went back to posing as a guard. Martha and Frank were in front of the Doctor and me.

"Just keep walking," whispered the Doctor.

Martha gasped. "I'm so glad to see you."

"Yeah, well, you can kiss me later." He retorted.

"You can kiss me, Frank, if you want," I added. Frank blushed while the Doctor growled out. "No, he may not."

Whoa! That was weird. Could it be that the Doctor was jealous? Nah, that's impossible.

-0-

The Pig Men brought us to the room that held the Dalek's lab.

There were four Daleks in the room, the one in the middle was shaking uncontrollably with smoke pouring out of it.

"Report," asked the first Dalek.

"Dalek Sec is in the final stage of evolution," the other Dalek responded. The Doctor's face scrunched up in confusion. "Evolution?"

"What's wrong with old Charlie boy over there?" asked Martha.

"Ask them," said the Doctor.

Martha scoffed. "What me? Don't be daft."

I inhaled deeply, trying muster up some courage. "I'll do it."

The Doctor hissed in response. "Alix, don't you dare!"

I ignored him and pushed myself forward. "Daleks, I want to know what the Final Experiment is. Uh, report!"

The Dalek turned to face me. "You will bear witness."

"Bear witness to what?"

"This is the dawn of a new age."

"Explain." I insisted.

"We are the only four Daleks so the species must evolve a life outside the shell. The Children of Skaro must walk again."

Dalek Sec's metal shell opened, and a two-legged creature wearing a suit stepped out. The creature's head had one eye and tentacles.

My jaw dropped. "What the hell is that?!"

"I'm a human Dalek. I am your future," said the creature.

Oh, shit! This can't be good.


	15. Heart of Courage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the Daleks attack Hooverville and the Doctor kisses Ali's hand.

The new human-Dalek continued to speak, obviously getting the hang of it. "These… humans will become like me."

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that the Doctor slipped away from the group. I fought the urge to smirk. Sorry, Daleks, there will be no more experimenting today.

"Prepare them for hybridization," ordered Dalek Sec. The pig slaves began to close in on us, I chose not to give myself away by bringing out my claws, because I knew that the Doctor had something up his sleeve.

"Leave me alone! Don't you dare!" screeched Martha. Suddenly a happy tune started to play in the room, and everyone froze, wondering where it's coming from.

Dalek Sec cried out. "What is that sound?"

The Doctor stepped out of his hiding place, holding a radio in his hands. "That would be me." He set the radio down on the table. "Hello. Surprise. Boo. Etcetera."

"Doctor," stated Dalek Sec.

"The enemy of the Daleks," shrieked one of the Daleks.

"Exterminate."

"Wait." Dalek Sec ordered.

"Well, then. A new form of Dalek." The Doctor stepped forward. "Fascinating and very clever."

Dalek Sec responded. "The Cult of Skaro escaped your slaughter."

I turned to the Doctor. "What the hell is he talking about?" The Doctor didn't reply, he just grabbed my hand, and yanked me behind him.

"The female is brave," commented Dalek Sec. The Doctor shifted the conversation back to the original topic. "How did you end up in 1930?"

"Emergency Temporal Shift."

The Doctor scoffed. "Oh, that must have roasted up your power cells." He strode across the room, looking around. "Time was, four Daleks could have conquered the world but instead you're skulking away, hidden in the dark experimenting." The Doctor took a deep breath. "All of which results in you."

"I am Dalek in human form," stated Dalek Sec.

Yeah, dude. You've already said that once. We get it.

The Doctor took a step closer to the human Dalek. "What does it feel like? You can talk to me, Dalek Sec. It is Dalek Sec, isn't? That's your name? You've got a name and a mind your own. Tell me what you're thinking right now."

Dalek Sec struggled to find the right words. "I… feel… humanity."

The Doctor seemed pleased by this confession. "Good. That's good." Dalek Sec continued. "I… feel… everything we wanted from mankind, which is ambition, hatred, aggression, and war. Such… a genius for war."

"Uh, I don't think he's getting it," I muttered.

The Doctor shook his head. "No, that's not what humanity means."

"I think it does. At heart, this species is so very… Dalek," said Dalek Sec.

Yeah, I think we've lost him.

I think the Doctor realized this because he changed his tune. "All right, so what have you achieved then? With this Final Experiment, eh? Nothing! Cause I can show you what you're missing with this thing." He pointed to a radio that was sitting on a table. "Simple little radio."

"What is the purpose of that device?" asked a Dalek.

"It plays music," I grumbled.

"My lovely friend, here, is right. It plays music. What's the point of that? Oh, with music, you can dance to it, sing with it," he gave me a wink. "fall in love to it. Unless you're a Dalek of course. Then it's just noise." The Doctor aimed his sonic screwdriver at the radio, and then a high-pitched wail filled the room.

The loud sound pierced my ears, and I quickly covered them with my hands to block the sound. It was beyond painful. I began to sob. "Please make it stop! It hurts!"

I felt a pair of strong lean arms scoop me up, my face was pressed into a warm chest. "I'm so sorry, Ali." I heard the Doctor whisper. I whimpered in response as I tried to bury my face deeper into his chest.

The rest of our escape was a bit of a blur, I vaguely remembered being set down, and being told that I had to climb a ladder. It was just so hard to focus when my ears were still ringing painfully.

-0-

We decided that our best option would be to return to Hooverville and warn Solomon of the Daleks. I was relieved to discover that my ears had recovered though for some reason the Doctor remained close by my side. We found Solomon standing by a fire outside. The Doctor approached him and quickly summarized what went down in the sewers.

Solomon wore an expression of disbelief. "These Daleks, they sound like the stuff of nightmares. And they wanna breed?"

"They're splicing themselves into human bodies." The Doctor explained. "If I'm right, they've got a farm of breeding stock right here in Hooverville. We've got to get everyone out."

"Hooverville's the lowest place a man can fall. There's nowhere else to go," protested Solomon.

"Look, I understand that this is a lot to believe," I told him. "But this is serious, and if you guys don't leave those things will kill you!"

"There's got to be a way to reason with these things," insisted Solomon.

"There's not a chance," said Martha.

"You ain't seen 'em, boss," agreed Frank.

"Daleks are bad enough at any time, but right now they're vulnerable and that makes them more dangerous than ever," informed the Doctor.

I stiffened when I caught the scent of a pig man. No. I corrected myself. There's more than one nearby. They're about to attack us. I tugged on the Doctor's elbow. "Doctor, we're too late. They're already here."

He didn't get the chance to respond, because sure enough, we heard a whistle blowing. "They're coming! They're coming!" A sentry cried out.

"The Sentry. Must have seen something," said Solomon.

"They're here! I've seen 'em! Monsters! They're Monsters!" shouted the sentry.

"It's started." The Doctor said grimly.

Solomon immediately sprang into action. "We're under attack! Everyone to arms!" A handful of men grabbed the guns from their stockpile of weapons.

All around me the skirmish between the Pig Men and the town's residents commenced. In all my twenty- three years of existence I had never seen such violence. And now with my new heightened senses… it was just too much. A low growl came out of my lips, and I fought the urge to attack the Pig Men. I felt the Doctor's hand on my shoulder. "Ali, are you alright?"

I shook my head. "I'm… having trouble staying in control." I panted. The Doctor pulled me in for a hug, and I felt myself relax despite the insanity that was going on all around us. To my surprise, the Doctor started to rub my lower back comfortingly. "Feeling better?" He asked.

"Yes," I responded as I slowly pulled away.

Apparently, while I was having my little freak out; the situation had grown even worse. The Pig Men had herded everyone into the center of Hooverville.

"They can't take all of us," declared Solomon as he started firing his rifle at the Pig Men.

"If we can just hold them off till daylight," uttered Martha through gritted teeth. The Doctor stared up at the sky. "Oh, Martha, they're just the foot soldiers." We all followed the Doctor's example and looked up to the sky.

"Holy shit!" I cursed. There was a Dalek overhead flying toward us. Solomon had a horrified expression on his face. "What in the world – "

"It's the devil. A devil in the sky. God save us all. It's damnation." The sentry yelled. Frank aimed his rifle at the Dalek. "Oh yeah? We'll see about that!" He fired a single bullet at the Dalek, but it didn't cause it any damage. The Doctor pushed Frank's rifle down. "That's not gonna work."

To make things worse another Dalek flew into view.

"There's more than one of them," announced Martha.

"Well, this night just keeps getting better." I quipped.

The Daleks began firing upon Hooverville, it didn't take very long for the city to be covered in flames. "The humans will surrender," ordered a Dalek.

The Doctor started to move forward.

"Doctor, what the hell are you doing?!" I shouted at him. He briefly turned to look at me. "Ali, just stay where you are."

I growled at him. "You're an idiot!"

"I know!"

The Doctor strode directly in front of the Daleks, waving his hands like a madman. "Leave them alone! They've done nothing to you!"

Solomon chose that moment to step forward. The Doctor grabbed his arm, trying to prevent him from doing something stupid. "No, Solomon. Stay back." The man refused to budge. "I'm told that I'm addressin' the Daleks, is that right? From what I hear, your outcasts, too."

"Solomon, don't," warned the Doctor. Solomon turned to face him. "Doctor, this is my township, you will respect my authority. Just let me try."

The Doctor shook his head and took a step backward. Why do I have a feeling that this end badly? I wanted to reach out and pull Solomon behind me, but instead, I stood where I was, frozen on the spot.

Solomon placed his rifle on the ground and held out his hands in a friendly gesture. "Daleks… ain't we all the same? Underneath, ain't we all kin? 'Cause, I've just discovered this past day God's universe is a thousand times the size I thought it was. And that scares me. Oh, yeah. Terrifies me, right down to the bone. But it's got to give me hope… that maybe together we can make a better tomorrow. So, I… I beg you now if you have any compassion in your hearts then you'll meet with us and stop this fight. Well… what do you say?"

There was a long pause in which we waited filled with dread and suspense.

"Exterminate!" exclaimed the Dalek. It fired upon Solomon instantly killing him. The people's screams filled the air as my jaw dropped in shock from witnessing such a brutal murder. The Doctor was right about these guys, they were creatures filled with hate.

"No! Solomon!" shouted Frank as he rushed to Solomon's body.

"They killed him. They just shot him on the spot," gasped Martha, horrified.

I watched as the Doctor's expression change from being terrified to pissed off. He ran out to the middle of the clearing.

"Doctor!" I yelled as I moved to follow him, but I was yanked backward by a pair of arms. I twisted around to see that I was being restrained by Frank. "Let me go!" I snapped.

"No." He replied. "I'm going to let you die like Solomon."

I growled in annoyance, but at the same time I was moved by his concern for my safety.

The Doctor waved his hands wildly in the air. "All right, so it's my turn! Kill me! Kill me if it will stop you from attacking these people!" He screamed in anger.

"I will be the destroyer of our greatest enemy," gloated the Dalek. The Doctor began to pound against his chest. "Then do it! Do it! Just do it!"

I began to sob. No, he can't die!

"Extermin-" The Dalek began before stopping. "I do not understand. It is the Doctor."

I ceased my sobbing. Wait!? What the hell is going on?

"The urge to kill is too strong."

Were we only hearing one side of a conversation?

"I… obey," said the Dalek.

The Doctor looked confused. "What's going on?"

"You will follow," ordered the Dalek. I realized that Frank's grip had loosened somewhat, so I took a chance and broke free.

"Doctor, you can't go!" I pleaded. He shook his head. "I've got to go. The Daleks just changed their minds. Daleks never change their minds."

"But what about us?" asked Martha, her voice filled with fear.

The Doctor turned to face the Daleks. "One condition! If I come with you, you spare the lives of everyone here! Do you hear me?"

"The humans will be spared. Doctor… follow," the Dalek responded.

"Then I'm coming with you," insisted Martha as she moved to follow him.

"No," I corrected. "We're going with you."

The Doctor disagreed. "You both should stay here. People are hurt, the two of you can help them. Let me go." He shot me a look that conveyed that he wanted me to do. The Doctor took hold of my hand and kissed it. "Oh, and can I just say, thank you very much."

Holy Hotness! "You're welcome," I sputtered.

The Doctor gave me a wink in response before he sauntered off.

Once my shock wore off, I realized that I had the Doctor's psychic paper in my hand.

-0-

Okay, the Doctor gave me his psychic paper. What the hell should I do now?

"Ali!" snapped Martha.

I turned to see Martha had already gotten started on taking care of the wounded. I hurried over to her. "What do you need?" I asked.

"I need some bandages and boiled water," replied Martha.

"I'll see what I can do about the bandages," I told her.

"Yeah, you do that," she said through gritted teeth.

I frowned when I detected something sour in Martha's scent. What the hell is going on with her?

Oh! I realized suddenly. Martha has a huge crush on the Doctor, and she just witnessed him kissing my hand. I must have smelled Martha's jealousy, then. Hmm… I didn't think that was possible, smelling emotions. I'll have to ask the Doctor about it later. I do feel slightly guilty about the whole thing because I forgot about Martha's feelings for the Doctor while I was enjoying his attention on me. I only thought that the Doctor was attractive, I didn't have any romantic feelings for him, unlike poor Martha.

"Ali, I really need those bandages," reminded Martha, angrily.

I blushed at the fact that I had gotten caught in spacing out. "I'm on it,"

I headed into one of the tents, and I found a spare long-sleeved shirt lying on top of a cot. I studied it for a moment, it was clean enough I suppose. I retracted my claws and shredded the shirt into strips of fabric. I left the tent carrying the bandages, I noticed immediately that Martha was nowhere to be seen. I focused my newly found super-hearing. Whoa! I could hear two hearts beating inside one of the tents. Instinctively I knew that one of the heartbeats belonged to Martha. I could get used to this super-power. I went inside the tent, and I placed the bandages beside Martha. "Here are the bandages."

"Thanks," she replied shortly. I watched as Martha tended to her patient. An awkward silence filled the air, and I shifted uncomfortably as the result of it.

A nagging thought entered my mind. Why did the Doctor give me his psychic paper instead of Martha? The sound of approaching footsteps snapped me out of my thoughts. I inhaled deeply, the sweet scent of Tallulah's perfume wafted through my nostrils. A minute later, Tallulah entered the tent with the pot of boiled water. "Here you go. I got some more on the boil."

"Thanks," responded Martha. She turned to her patient. "You'll be all right. It's just a cut. Try and keep it clean."

The man gave his thanks and left the tent.

Tallulah leaned against the wall. "So, what about us? What do we do now?"

I sighed, pulling out the psychic paper from my back pocket. "The Doctor gave me this," I told them.

Martha smiled. "So, that's why he kissed your hand. He was secretly handing you the psychic paper." As she was talking, Martha's scent lost its bitterness. Huh? I guess we're okay, now.

Tallulah piped up. "What's psychic paper?"

I sighed. "It gets you into places."

"But where does he want us to go? What does he want us to?!" exclaimed Martha.

I shrugged. "I guess that's something that we have to figure out."

-0-

We were now in Solomon's tent; Martha and Tallulah were searching through some papers. I was currently pacing the entire length of the tent. In my right hand, I tightly clutched the psychic paper.

"Martha, when you were with the Daleks. Did they say anything at all?" I asked.

Martha frowned in thought. "Wait a minute. Down in the sewers the Daleks mentioned this…energy conductor."

I nodded. "That sounds like it has 'evil alien shit' written all over it."

"What does that mean?" questioned Tallulah.

"I don't know," Martha admitted. "Maybe like a lightning conductor or… Dalekanium!"

"Oh," said Tallulah.

"Do you know where?" I inquired.

Martha bit her lip. "Frank might know."

"And where is Frank? Has anyone seen him since Solomon…" I trailed off.

"I saw him sitting outside by a fire," offered Tallulah helpfully.

We headed outside and found Frank right where Tallulah said we would. I placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Frank?"

"Hm?"

"Mr. Diagoras, he was a businessman. He was the guy that got you jobs," I asked.

I could see that there were dried tears upon Frank's face. "Yeah. He could find a profit anywhere." He agreed, his voice thick with sorrow.

"But where, though? What sort of things?" insisted Martha.

"You named it. We're all so desperate for work, you just hoped Diagoras would pick you for something good. Building work. That pays the best," answered Frank.

"But what sort of building work?"

Frank pointed to the Empire State Building far in the distance.

Geez. It looks like the Daleks were responsible for having the Empire State Building built. This can't end well.

**Author's Note:**

> This story is also posted on fanfiction.net under the pen name Midnight Alley.


End file.
